A weekend of fun of a different kind for the kids
Mommy's Baby Angels planned to take children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Mbombela and Pretoria and show them something they have never been exposed to
MBOMBELA – A trip to the Kruger National Park (KNP) changed Riaan Lamprecht’s life when he was in grade 8. He was picked from an entire class of pupils and afforded the opportunity of a lifetime to see animals up close and in the wild.
With that precious experience in mind, he has decided to pay it forward by taking 20 children from disadvantaged backgrounds in Mbombela and Pretoria on a four-day trip to Kwanyoni Lodge next weekend.
The children will be treated to trips to the Sudwala Dinosaur Park, participate in the Gajiga Run yesterday and go on plane rides, to name only some of the fun activities planned.
For Lamprecht it is an opportunity to enable the kids to experience something out of their comfort zones.
He is the co-founder of the Mommy’s Baby Angels and this is their second initiative to bring joy to the lives of young children and their often single mothers.
“There are so many young mothers out there who can hardly care for themselves and if you listen to their stories it is so heartbreaking,” he said.
Lamprecht was raised by his single mother, Ethel Venter (60) in Pretoria who, herself, would help others. She did not have the time to dedicate herself to grow her organisation, and called on her son to help distribute some of the goods she collected in Pretoria in Mbombela.
These include baby clothes, toiletries and goods to help young mothers. Mother’s Baby Angels was registered in February as a non-profit organisation (NPO). Lamprecht is the father of two children, a daughter, Domonique (17) and son, Reagan (13). He is the group general manager of Cellular Africa at Nashua Lowveld and does his charity work in his spare time.
It is an experience he deems fulfilling as he gets to have an impact on children and their mothers’ lives. Mother’s Baby Angels has allowed them to ask larger groups to help them in their collection drives.
In August the NPO placed cribs at the SPAR in Steiltes, Pick n Pay White River and the Mimo KWIKSPAR in Pretoria where people could donate baby goods for distribution. Lamprecht’s niece, Monique (25) collects the donations which were given to Huis Bethlehem, among other organisations.
