Get Involved

 

We encourage you to get involved with our organization and join us in making a positive difference in the lives of the children we serve.

 

There are several ways in which you can help us fulfill our mission more effectively.  As an NPO, we are not in the business of making money, and we rely on the generosity of others to continue our work.  For this reason, and because the experience is mutually enriching, we encourage and invite volunteers from South Africa and around the world to come work with us.  We have found that the involvement of outsiders is especially beneficial because it provides us with different perspectives, observations and ideas that we would otherwise miss.  For the children and our home visit clients, the presence of volunteers makes a lasting impression.  It shows the children and clients who live in isolated townships that people out there care about them.  They are not forgotten or forsaken.  This is a crucial tool in helping to build up in them a hope for the future which can be hard to find in their circumstances.  The energy, enthusiasm and passion of volunteers in carrying on programmes like soccer tournaments or maintenance also creates memories that will last a live time.  When the volunteers leave, they find that they have made a difference in the lives of the children and, often, in their own lives.

 

The other way you can get involved is by donating.  We receive funding from the Department of Social Development, which pays for the children's food and our caregivers' stipends.  What we can spend the money on, however, is restricted to these two fields.  As an NPO that cares for over three hundred children, this funding leaves us unable to purchase many items that would allow us to provide better services and better fulfill our mission.

 

We recently finished a new kitchen, but are unable to use it because we do not have the funds to purchase the necessary furnishings (oven, stove, large pots and pans).  The kitchen we are currently using is located in the separate building from the dinning room, which we are renting.  The pots, pans and dishes we use to cook for and serve the children are also old.  We have to reuse plastic spoons because we do not have any metal ones for the children to use.  We are also in need of more large freezers to store the meat we cook for the children.  We do not have enough room to store meat for a month.

 

Many of the children we serve come to us barefoot, even in the winter. This is one of the saddest sights we see regularly at St. Martin's. Unfortunately, we do not currently have the funds to purchase adequate footware for these children.  Many children are also unable to pay for school uniforms, which provide a sense of pride and an atmosphere that promotes the importance of education.  

 

One type of activity we greatly enjoy organising for the children are outings.  These proive us with the opportunity to take children outside of their townships, get hands-on and visual education, as well as exposing them to the many opportunities out there for their future.  These outings, however, can be quite expensive for large numbers of children.  We would like to be able to conduct more of these in the future.

 

Winter nights in South Africa get quite cold, often dropping to around freezing.  But many families are without blankets to keep themselves warm at night.  This is a simple, everyday item that most people never think about, but for many in the townships, it is something they lack.  

 

If you are interested in helping out either by volunteering your time or assisting us through financial or material donation, please contact us.