Fast and Active Disaster Response:
Our responses to disasters vary considerably, dependent on prevailing conditions in identified disaster or war zones.
We have the immediate capacity to deliver all the appropriate materials, inclusive of :
- Temporary shelter;
- Bedding and blankets;
- Basic foodstuffs, inclusive of baby provisions;
- Sibusiso Ready Food Supplement (a high-energy and protein supplement, innovated by Gift of the Givers – and the first of its kind in the world);
- A wide range of medical supplies, medical equipment and ambulances; and
- Generators for emergency power supply.
In addition, we are able to immediately call on professional search and rescue teams and medical specialists, whilst facilitating the evacuation of affected people.
We also undertake the rebuilding and/or rehabilitation of infrastructure, such as homes, schools and medical facilities damaged during crises.
A Passion for Hunger Alleviation:
Hunger is a universal problem.
In recognition of this, we distribute in excess of 100 000 food parcels annually, prepare and serve hot meals at our own centres, whilst also supporting existing feeding schemes through the provision of thousands of meals on a daily basis.
We further assist in key agricultural projects, supporting subsistence farmers in distress, as well as providing animal feed for needy farmers during crippling drought events.
Committed to the Provision of Water:
Water is a precious and scarce resource and one evermore affected by global climate change.
We have in place a number of water tankers, used for the delivery of water to desperate communities, and actively encourage the harvesting and recycling of water, whilst also establishing desalination treatment plants and providing point-of-use water purification solutions and – as a last resort – go so far as to provide bottled water to critically-affected communities.
We are integrally involved with borehole drilling operations, together with the development of such sites at schools, clinics and other central community points. Our team, headed by a geohydrologist with more than 40 years experience, is responsible for the sighting, drilling, testing, developing and monitoring all our borehole sites on a continuous basis.
Promoting Human Development:
The under-development of many historically disadvantaged communities is regarded as a massive socio-economic problem.
Recognising this, we have developed a series of programmes designed to promote the empowerment and dignity of our young people, including:
- The provision of a range of school supplies for young learners;
- A toll-free telephonic, as well as face-to-face counselling service;
- Life skills training interventions and workshops; and
- Skills development initiatives.
Creating an Environment Conducive to Education:
We contribute towards the creation of an environment conducive to the improved education of the disadvantaged.
We have in place:
- A comprehensive bursary programme, providing opportunities for deserving candidates to complete their tertiary education; an education they would have otherwise been denied;
- A schools infrastructural development programme, improving – in particular – the quality of school toilets and the provision of potable water within educational institutions; and
- A school-level entrepreneurial development programme, Jumpstart, at identified KwaZulu-Natal schools, which is designed to plant the seed of entrepreneurship in the minds of Grade 10 and 11 learners, by facilitating their ability to start their own small businesses. Our objective is to engender a high degree of self-belief, giving learners the ability to transform their business ideas into productive business entities and so contribute to the upliftment of their communities. Our intention is to stimulate an entrepreneurial spirit amongst learners in a concerted effort to empower young, aspiring entrepreneurs and to promote the essence of entrepreneurship in the face of growing levels of unemployment.
Contributing to the Healthcare of Communities:
Access to sound healthcare is the right of every citizen.
We have the capacity to contribute meaningfully to the provision of both healthcare facilities and practitioners.
A current key project involves our successful operation of one of the largest hospitals in war-torn Northern Syria. As a consequence, the Geneva-based humanitarian movement, Red Crescent, has entrusted our organisation with responsibility for a second hospital.
We have primary healthcare workers, doctors and mid-wives who spend extensive time in the field in Somalia and we direct a Poor Patient Fund, which covers hospital treatment for patients unable to afford hospital such care in the Middle East.
In addition, we have also been actively involved in:
- Funding certain identified operations;
- Establishing an audiology screening programme in Soshanguve, Pretoria; and
- The large-scale distribution of wheelchairs.
