Steve Lewis (62), a semi-retired professional Engineer from Pretoria, South Africa, has his heart set on building a home for his gardener of over 25 years, Abel Shabangu (53), who is a dear friend of the family.
Despite his diligent work ethic, Abel has only managed to build a simple tin shack with access to water, sewage, and electricity, for his wife and 3 children on the small property he owns in Soshanguve, due to limited financial resources.
The home Abel built for his family in Soshanguve, Gauteng.
18 months ago, Abel asked Steve for his help, to design and help build a comfortable home for his family, and Steve gladly accepted.
“For as long as I can remember, Abel has had a dream to give his family a home they can be proud of and stay safe in. He is a hardworking, honest, upstanding family man that does everything he can to raise his family in the best way possible,” says Steve
Abel and his family.
Having secured R100 000 ($6500) of his own funds to make the family’s dream a reality, Steve enthusiastically started drawing up the plans.
To help cover the shortfall of R45,000 ($2800) needed to build a small, 3 bedroom brick house, Steve launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, which has already raised R33 000 ($2100), thanks to generous donations from donors both locally and abroad.
With experience in managing building projects, Steve will oversee the building project free of charge, and has already found a reliable builder who lives close to Abel.
Funds raised by the campaign will soley be used to cover the cost of the builder and his materials. Any additional funds will be used to furnish the home and improve on the simple finishings that are currently planned for the house.
Thanks so much for your donation. We are making good progress towards our target. Your generosity has made all the difference. We are also investigating if Abel can get a government subsidy on the building of the house. With all this goodwill the dream will definitely come true.– says Steve
Thank you to all those who have contributed to this project to build Abel a house. We managed to get sufficient funds to start the project this month. We built the foundations last week and we have started with the walls this week.
We have enough money for the basic house and the electrical services.
However, there will not be enough for plumbing and the ceiling. If you are interested in helping further. The basic plumbing will cost about R17 000 and the ceiling will cost about R6 000.
Any donations would be very welcome.
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/abel-shabangu
https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/Abel-Shabangu
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R290 Million.
Pictured above: A Cape Town family was involved in a serious car accident in Johannesburg
On the 28th of December 2021, Gerhard van Niekerk (29), his fiancé Madelein van Zyl (27), and their two sons, Gregory (4) and Luke (8 weeks), were involved in a devastating car accident while on holiday in Johannesburg over the festive season.
Driving on the N12 at about 5:30 pm, the family was allegedly hit by another motorist on the rear left side of their Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Moments later, Gerhard lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a hill.
Pictured above: A devastating car crash has changed this family’s life forever
While Gerhard and Gregory suffered minor injuries from the crash, Madelein suffered multiple serious injuries, as most of the impact was on the passenger side, where she was sitting.
Doctors initially reported injuries to Madelein’s leg, shoulder, nose, cheekbone, and ribs – after further scans and x-rays the doctors concluded that she had broken her elbow, ankle and her C2 and C3 neck vertebrae as well.
Tragically, baby Luke was declared brain dead and lost his life at 11pm that evening, leaving a sizable void in the hearts of all who knew and loved him.
Pictured above: 8 week old baby Luke was declared brain dead after the accident and later passed away
As the family fights bravely through their hurt and heartache, Bianca Weygandt (31) a family friend, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, to support the van Niekerk’s with their mounting medical bills, as they don’t have medical aid.
Since leaving ICU, Madelein’s elbow has been operated on, and a procedure on her ankle might need to be performed.
As the injury to her neck is known as a ‘stable break’, fortunately, no operation is required. Her nose, cheekbone, and ribs will also heal with time, doctors say.
Pictured above: Before the accident: Madelein, Gerhard and their son Gregory
Since the launch of the campaign, over R43 000 has been raised on BackaBuddy to support the family through this difficult time, with contributions from 107 donors both locally and abroad.
Additional funds raised will be used to cover the costs of Luke’s funeral, and the physical, emotional, and psychological treatment they will need to heal from their life-changing ordeal.
“We as a family would like to thank each and every person for their prayers, support, donations, and sharing our story! I would like to urge everyone, spend time with your loved ones, tell them you love them – time is precious – it cannot be replaced and memories are all we have in the end. I had a very special bond with my boy, Luke, in the short time God lent him to us, we loved him so much! We will miss him – every day. Also, drive safely and be alert on the roads – our life was changed in an instant” – says Gerhard.
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/gerhard-van-niekerk
https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/GerhardVanNiekerk
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“We arrived back in Gordon’s Bay on the 14th of January 2022, Luke has been cremated and his ashes are now with us, as soon as we are ready we will arrange a memorial service for our precious baby boy.
Madelein must still have the operation done on her ankle and we had an appointment on 27th of January to see the doctors at Helderberg Hospital, we had some good news which brings us a lot of relief, Madelein might not need an operation on her ankle, the doctors are happy with how the bones are mending.
But, we do not have medical aid and the costs thus far have been adding up, the BackaBuddy campaign will go a long way to helping us cover the medical costs in Gauteng and all other revolving costs such as physiotherapy for Madelein and as a family we feel it best if we see a psychologist to help us emotionally process what has happened.
The costs thus far for the admittance to Netcare, one night’s stay in the ICU at Netcare, X-Rays and CT scans for both Madelein and Luke amount to about R62 000, this does not include the specialists and doctors that saw us or the operation done on Madelein’s arm at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.
At this stage it is hard to give an exact amount because we are waiting on invoices from the doctors, specialists and hospitals but we estimate the total cost to be around R150 000. Madelein’s other injuries are recovering very well and under the circumstances we are doing okay.” – says Gerhard
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far risen over R290 Million.
On the 21st of November 2021, 28 cyclists from Johannesburg, part took in the 94.7 Ride Joburg Pedaling for a purpose, the group aimed to support the South African Bone Marrow Registry in raising funds for the organisation’s Patient Assistance Programme.
To date, the SABMR has helped save the lives of 550 patients with life-threatening blood disorders by matching them with healthy, unrelated bone marrow donors from South Africa and the rest of the world.
Currently, there are 39 million registered donors worldwide and counting. Ethnicity plays a vital role in finding a donor as you’re most likely to find a donor within your own ethnic grouping. South Africa is a prime and unique example of mixed inherited diversity, making it even more difficult to find a suitable match for a patient in need.
A patient has a 1 in 100 000 chance of finding a suitable donor match. These odds are even further reduced for patients of colour to 1 in 400 000 as there is a lack of donors of colour not only on our local registry, but globally. Hence, spurring everyone who is eligible to sign up and donate to give patients the second chance at life they so deserve.
“Bone marrow-related diseases is not a mystery, it is a solvable challenge. There are however many patients in need of stem cell transplant to offer them the best chance of survival. The solution: we must get everyone in the world on a registry to give them the best chance. Starting in South Africa.” – says Dr Charlotte Ingram
As a non-profit public benefit organisation, the SABMR relies heavily on financial donations to cover the costs of donor recruitment which costs around R2000 per swab test kit.
Each kit needs to be sent to an international laboratory for tissue-typing before the results are placed on the SABMR’s database, to which donor registries around the world have access.
To support the SABMR’s fundraising efforts, 28 cyclists from South Africa took on the 94.7 Ride Joburg this past weekend. Proceeds from this initiative will go directly towards the SABMR’s Patient Assistance Programme which helps families who are not in the financial position to be able to cover the cost of a donor search.
Cycled a distance of 94km, the champions hoped to raise R100 000 collectively by crowdfunding on BackaBuddy, to cover the costs of 50 swab test kits, used to recruit new donors and expand the SABMR database.
Pictured above: Christine Roos
“My journey with the SABMR is one that is very close to my heart. Not only has it raised awareness for a very special cause but it has supported me to appreciate my life, my health, and my ability to positively impact the lives of others. The power of togetherness has truly shown up for SABMR and I endeavor to continue to push myself to the limits in the water and on land for this organization and the people it supports!” – says Christine
“Being able to raise funds for the SABMR is a blessing to me – I am fit and healthy enough to be able to push my body. The role that the SABMR plays in the lives of cancer patients is one that signifies hope and courage. With the awareness and funds that I’ve helped in raising, I hope that the SABMR continues their mission of touching the lives of people who need it the most.” – says Matthew
Pictured above: Mathew Dejager
Combined, the 28 cyclists have raised almost R80 000 towards their fundraising target of R100 000 with contributions from 218 donors.
To support one of the SABMR’s 28 cyclists on Backabuddy, make a donation here:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/
*All funds raised will be managed by the SABMR. Donors will also be eligible for a Section 18A tax certificate issued by the organisation.
According to SABMR, Head of Sustainability and National Operations Kamiel Singh, there are currently only 74 000 donors registered on the SABMR’s database to cater to over 59.3 million South Africans.
“Every year, hundreds of South Africans with blood diseases such as leukemia reach the point where their only chance of survival is a bone marrow transplant. For about 30% of patients, a matched donor can be found in their own family; for the other 70%, their only hope is to find a matched unrelated donor identified by the SABMR.” – says Head of Sustainability and National Operations, Kamiel Singh.
Pictured above: Kamiel Singh
You can Register to become a Bone Marrow donor, by clicking here:
https://sabmr.co.za/become-a-
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 10 000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far risen over R250 Million.
In 2018, Andrew Patterson (39) from Sea Point, Cape Town, successfully climbed Table Mountain every day for a year to raise funds for 3 non-profit organisations, Habitat for Humanity, One Heart and Sunflower Fund on BackaBuddy.
Through the summer sun and winter rain, Andrew pushed his body to the limits and committed to his cause in hopes to inspire South Africans to look out for their fellow man and make the world a better place.
Taking the last step of his 964 hour, 2429km journey (including 262km of vertical climbing – which is equivalent to climbing Mount Everest 71 times) on New Year’s Eve, Andrew was thankful to the 738 climbers who joined him along the way, as well as the 485 donors who pledged their support.
“The people I got to meet, the conversations that we have had on the mountain, the enthusiasm for people to get behind this to make a real difference in this country was mind blowing. It goes to show that you can never fully grasp the full power of an idea until you act on it and start to see it blooming. It was hard to put into a few words what that year meant to me, the entire experience was even greater than I ever imagined. I developed a greater understanding of listening to my own inner voice, intuition and gut.” – says Andrew
With his 365 Ubuntu Climbs crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy, Andrew raised close to R1 Million rand which was used to:
Taking on the challenge, Andrew learned a powerful lesson about what we can accomplish together when we push through our own fears and insecurities.
“I learned when I choose to focus on solutions to challenges rather than become weighed down by the challenge itself – whether climbing or the societal challenges at large – I feel far more empowered. There is always a solution. I just have to decide I have the dedication, perseverance, and depth of faith to go as far as is needed.” – says Andrew
Andrew hopes South Africans will be inspired to conquer their own mountain.
“Whatever your challenge – just get started. Table mountain from afar seemed insurmountable, but seeing the next few stairs ahead of you makes you think ‘why didn’t I start sooner’. Focus on today and what you can do right now to make South Africa better” – says Andrew
Celebrating a fab finish
Launch a crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy
On crowdfunding for his cause, Andrew had this to say:
“Partnering with BackaBuddy gave me the freedom to focus 100% on my challenge and know that the finances were taken care of. The transparency with which donations are shown and the ease with which people could donate from around the world made them a joy to work with.”
Inspired by Andrew, Rudy van Dieman (26), a tour guide for Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, hopes to achieve 365 summits up Table Mountain in 2022 to help buy a safe house for children in Mitchells Plain. Read More.
“Rudy first contacted me in 2020 to tell me he wanted to tackle this challenge. Climbing Table Mountain every day for a year is a mammoth undertaking — but once I heard why he wanted to do this, I had absolute faith in him. Rudy is an incredible man with big dreams and an even bigger heart. I’m incredibly proud of him and supporting him with every step he climbs.” – says Andrew
Andrew with Rudy in 2018
On the 30th of September 2021, Luke Mulvey, a 9-year-old boy who lives on a smallholding in Lovemore Park, Eastern Cape, was attacked by a 250kg mother sow that he has looked after as a pet for the last 2-years.
Pictured above: Luke has always had a fondness for animals and dreams of working in animal rescue one day.
Having just flown kites with his dad, Luke stopped by the pig pen to check on their sow and her piglets, , he had done just 2 days before.
Not expecting the pig to be uneasy about his presence, as she is usually friendly and placid, Luke was caught off guard when the pig charged at him to protect her newborn babies.
Pictured above: Piglet, the mother sow.
Watching in horror, as ‘Piglet’ latched onto Luke’s arm and ‘shook him like a rag doll’, his father, David, grabbed onto the pig’s tail, using all his strength to prevent her from lunging towards Luke again and killing him.
“I am so grateful that I had the strength to hold on. It was a terrifying and traumatic experience for both of us. I thought I was going to see my son killed before my eyes. My world was turned upside down in a flash” says David.
Thankfully, Edward, who works on the farm, heard Luke’s terrified screams and rushed to the pen to lift the terrified boy to safety.
With the crushing of his left arm and the gnashing of his right hand and fingers, Luke was bleeding profusely and in severe pain while being rushed to St. George’s Hospital, where his broken arm was eventually wired and plated together.
Luke has thus far endured four surgeries, in what will be a long road to recovery, involving physiotherapy, counselling, and possibly skin grafts.
Pictured above: Luke was rushed to St. George’s Hospital after being bitten by a pig on their farm
Crowdfunding on BackaBuddy
With Luke’s medical costs exceeding over R300 000 thus far, as the family is without medical aid, the public has shown tremendous support for the Mulvey family through their crowdfunding campaign on BackaBuddy.
With generous support from the public, over R64 000 has been raised with kind contributions from 112 donors both locally and internationally, who have been a blessing to the family that has suffered great emotional and financial stress.
Pictured above: Despite his pain, Luke is in good spirits.
Since Luke was discharged from the hospital, he has healed tremendously and has full use of his arm and fingers. He is going for his X-Rays soon to find out when he will have the follow-up surgery to remove plates and pins.
“It took him about a month before he gained enough confidence to go outside, he has come a far way, he is still shaken and traumatised by certain things that trigger the fear he experienced during the attack such as seeing the sheep which is a hard thing for him to go through and even harder to watch as my son has a huge love for all animals,” says David.
To assist Luke in his recovery through this traumatic experience, a lovely lady from Sunflower Healing has generously offered to see and counsel him.
“She is just one of the many people who blew us away showing us kindness, love and hope, the kind of support we never imagined we would receive. We are at a loss for words to thank each and everyone of our donors, you helped to soften the financial blow and enabled Luke to get the care he needed,” says David.
Pictured above: Luke with his dad, David.
Thanks to everyone’s tremendous support of his BackaBuddy campaign, Luke’s family has been able to pay off some of the hospital bills that helped save them from the financial stress.
I am just so grateful that my son Luke is here with me today and everyone who supported us can know how eternally grateful we are to you all. Thank you to every donor whether friend or stranger and no matter how big or small a donation and also to all the people out there for the kind messages. And a huge thank you to the surgical team and nursing staff at Life St. Georges hospital for their care and kindness.
Luke having a swim and recovering well.
Donate to Luke’s campaign on BackaBuddy:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/luke-mulvey
Alternatively, donate via Snapscan:
https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/luke-mulvey
Last month, Gender-based violence activist Leilani Kuter (47), from Roodepoort, Johannesburg, took on her 3rd annual walk to highlight sexual assault survivors in South Africa.
Leilani’s story
Three years ago, Leilani revisited the NG-church Youth Centre in Pretoria, where she was brutally raped, assaulted, and left for dead in 1992, when she was only 18-years-old.
In confronting her painful past, Leilani found her purpose: to shatter sexual assault stigma, shine a spotlight on survival, and empower abused women to get up, speak out, and get the help they need.
“I am inspired by people who don’t make excuses, who take control of their lives, people who get up and carry on. No matter what has happened to you, don’t let it become your life sentence” – says Leilani
Wearing yellow, the colour the attacker wore on that fateful day, Leilani stepped out of the shadows on the 27th anniversary of her assault, and walked 27km for 27 days, a total distance of 729km, uplifting survivors with every stride. Joined by over 300 individuals, including Bruce Fordyce, Leilani was encouraged to not give up.
On the 28th anniversary of her assault, Leilani returned with a nostalgic walk, walking 28km for 16 days, revisiting significant milestones and places in her life.
On the 16th of September 2021, the 29th anniversary of her sexual assault, Leilani took on a new challenge: walking for 29 hours, from Ventersdorp to Little Falls, Gauteng, to raise R290 000 on BackaBuddy, to provide women, particularly those in disadvantaged areas with access to free self-defence classes.
The self-defence classes which cost R300 per person, will take place during the 16 days of Activism in November, with Gary Lewis & Carien Davel from Never Tap Out.
“I am passionate about self-defence because if I had some of these skills in 1992, I might have been able to protect myself. These courses won’t make you a hero, but they could save your life and give you a fighting chance!” – says Leilani
On her walk, Leilani was joined by her friend Jaxy Olivier, two Guardian Angels from 1st For Women, and Gerhard Botes who will be driving closely behind to ensure their safety.
With her awareness walks, Leilani has raised over R500 000 through her non-profit organization, Yellow For Survivors NPC, to support rape crisis centres in South Africa, such as SA Women Fight Back, Tears Foundation, Purple Foundation, Bobbi Bear Foundation and many others.
In addition to her awareness walks, Leilani has also completed more than 2500km’s in dedication walks to honor women affected by gender-based violence, such as Sibongile Zenzile, Olivia Jasriel and Reeva Steenkamp.
“For me, walking has been very healing. When you look back and see how far you’ve come, you are reminded that the past is behind you and that you need to keep moving forward. When I started my walks, I had no expectations and no idea that this would change my life. Now everyone knows me as the lady with the yellow shirt. ” – says Leilani
To support Leilani’s 29 hour walk, make a donation on BackaBuddy here:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/29hrwgbv
Alternatively, make a donation via Snapscan:
https://pos.snapscan.io/qr/29hrWalkforGBV
All donors are eligible for a Section 18A tax certificate issued by Yellow for Survivors NPC.
More more information visit Yellow for survivors: https://www.yellowforsurvivors.co.za
South Africa’s leading crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy has supported more than 44000+ individuals and charities in setting up fundraising campaigns for medical fees, tuition, and various causes in South Africa. The platform has thus far raised over R500 Million.