Giving as an act of love

March 19, 2019

As many of you may know, I am a huge fan of giving and helping out where you can. One of my mottos in life is, “Do the best you can with what you have.” You don’t have to be a multi-millionaire or a billionaire to give and to help out. I believe that giving is a pure act of love as you don’t really get anything return but a good feeling that you did something that made someone’s life that much easier, whether it’s for life or for a moment. I personally started taking giving seriously in 2009. My mother, Mrs S.G Sehole, a grade 1 teacher at the time, had come across a young boy in her class who just lost her grandmother and was now being raised by his sister, who was in matric at the time. The boy wore torn pants, didn’t have underwear and was teased because of it. So, my mom went to Pep Store and bought him underwear. It probably cost less than R20 for a pack of 3 boy’s underwear.

Growing Angels' First Project in 2009.

Collaboration with Black Motion

I, on the other hand, had just started working and didn’t have a lot, but I did have colleagues, access to a phone and the internet. So, I spoke to my mom about how I could help and she said that there were other kids at the school who didn’t have winter school uniform and winter was approaching. I asked for 10 names of the children in need and started raising funds to buy winter school uniforms for them all. My colleagues were eager to help out and they each took one child to sponsor, one manager in the department sponsored two and the store where I bought the uniform sponsored the last child. That experience stuck with so much that I opened an NGO named Growing Angels and started a few other projects that are actually very close to my heart.

What is it that you feel strongly about and what do you have in your hand to give? Whatever it is, it is enough and it is needed. If you have a skill, you could go to your former school and volunteer to mentor the kids there. If you have R50 to spare every month, you could find an NGO close to you to donate to. Or you can club money together with your friends, find a local children’s home and help out. Literally, beggars are not choosers but whatever you are willing to give, must be something you would accept. I don’t like people who give away rejects that are so bad that they should be used as skroplap (a floor cleaning rag). Give dignity to the people that you are donating to.

Our Spread The Word and Baby Care Pack projects touch over 80 lives combined.

Just start and see how far your giving will take you. Sometimes the time that you give to others could make a difference between life and death, literally or figuratively, meaning that person can find hope for a better future as opposed to the path they were going down on which could’ve led them to prison. One of the projects that we do is a baby care pack for new mothers at public hospitals. We went to Klerksdorp hospital and gave away the packs. One of the mothers started tearing away at her pack and just before we left she stopped us and said, I didn’t know what I was going to clothe this child in, she hasn’t even been bathed. That was my biggest accomplishment yet. It made the sleepless nights worth it. Just that one grateful heart that was helped.