Community unites to give children a day to remember

I Matter NPO, with the support of generous sponsors, recently organised a special day at the cinema for children, many of whom experienced a trip outside their hometown, visited a shopping mall, and saw a movie at the cinema for the first time.

The NPO is committed to educating, empowering and supporting women and children who have been victims and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), mental health challenges, and social crime.

Its mission is to help them realise their potential and overcome the challenges they face.

Founder of the non-profit, Natalie Abrahams, explained that the movie day was originally planned as a fundraiser for the organisation. “We aimed to secure sponsors to fund the children’s cinema outing, with a portion of the proceeds supporting the PEARL children’s programme, which provides food and activities three times a week,” she said.

The PEARL programme is a values-based initiative dedicated to orphaned and vulnerable children who have been affected by gender-based violence, neglect, abuse, sexual assault, and abandonment. It focuses on education, awareness, prevention, and offering support to children, alongside self-care and skills development to encourage self-sustainability. Abrahams added, “Our goal is to help the children live their purpose and heal from the challenges they face in life.”

The goal of the movie day was to take at least 200 children from across the province on this movie experience and raise enough funds to cover food and materials for the PEARL programme until December, when it breaks for the year.

Thanks to the efforts of the Nedbank team, who raised funds through staff donations, 30 children were sponsored. Pro Acts Panel Beaters also contributed, sponsoring 10 children, while Alderman Dino Petersen from Ward 57 further supported the initiative with another 20 children. However, due to insufficient funds, it was decided that only children currently enrolled in the PEARL programme would be able to attend.

Two days before the event, the organisation’s board member, Delaine Edmonds Khan, reached out to her daughter, a senior manager at Nedbank. She and the Nedbank Credit Card Division then approached NuMetro directly, who generously sponsored all 60 tickets for the children, as well as five staff tickets. Additionally, NuMetro provided each child with a cold drink and popcorn.

Metro World Child also contributed by delivering an engaging 20-minute interactive talk before the movie, which the children thoroughly enjoyed. The generous sponsorship enabled I Matter to cover the transport costs for three minibus taxis to transport the children to and from the event.

“We are deeply grateful to Nedbank, Natasha and Meagan for their ongoing support, NuMetro The Glen, Glamour Transport, and Metro World Child for their incredible generosity,” said Abrahams.

“This outing has been a blessing, and it gave many of the children their very first cinema experience.”

Abrahams also extended heartfelt thanks to her dedicated staff, who volunteer their time to help make days like these a reality.

“We were also able to prepare sandwiches, fruit, and juice for each child. This day truly feels like a dream come true, both for us and for the children. We are immensely grateful to everyone who donated towards this cause,” she added.