Community support keeps Courier’s Orphan Fund afloat

The North Coast Courier Orphan Fund committee met on January 27 to make the fund’s quarterly allocations.

The money raised (and distributed) during the months November through January is reflected in the table.

The bulk of the money raised this quarter was through generosity in the form of donations from local businesses and individuals.

A substantial contribution also came from friends of the orphans in Germany where a group of generous-hearted and caring people have taken the fund on as a worthwhile recipient of their donations.

Covid-19 has so very damaged the economy.

It has brought loss of life, of loved ones.

It has come into our homes, bringing illness, fear, unemployment and suffering.

It has impacted widely across society, probably none more than NPOs in their endeavors to raise much needed funds for worthy causes.

The Orphan Fund’s mandate is to raise funds to help feed and clothe orphaned and vulnerable children in the Courier’s area of distribution.

It is also to raise awareness of the needs of less fortunate, often invisible to the wealthy in our gated estates and behind high walls.

One of the ways we try to do this is to hold fund raising functions – in the form of golf days, breakfasts, tea parties, yogathons, to name a few.

These have, since the advent of Covid, been difficult to arrange, what with social distancing and curfews.

Yet funds miraculously appear, praise God.

Thank you to a community which is known for its generosity to those in need.

One item that needs mentioning is the Holla Trails Fines for Trespassing.

A family member and regular Holla cyclist pointed it out recently and took the photo published here.

See item on the Income Table.

This was introduced a number of years ago and every so often an amount appears in the bank statement.

Thank you Holla Trails for faithfully passing on these fines, gratefully received.

The Orphan Fund also has a bursary fund to support worthy but vulnerable students who qualify for tertiary education and are paid for by NSFAS but need transport to and from their place of study as well as help with basic living expenses.

Over the years successful recipients have included an electrical engineer, a lawyer, a quantity surveyor, a librarian and a carpenter, to mention a few.

Currently studying with help from the Fund are a 3rd year civil engineer, a 2nd year mechatronics student and a 2nd year medical student.

This year we have enrolled a 2nd year BSc student at Wits who grew up in Verulam. Buyisile Nyongwana achieved good results at Wits in first year but struggled financially, with both parents unemployed.

The subsistence bursary we have awarded her will hopefully keep the wolf from the door.

The Orphan Fund would like to welcome Mpume Vilakazi as our new Fund Raising Coordinator and wish her well in this demanding role.

The Orphan Fund is audited and registered as a non-profit organisation and has also been approved by the Receiver of Revenue for tax exemption.

This means that donors can receive a tax deduction on donations made. North Coast Courier Orphan Fund bank details: ABSA branch: 630229, Acct No: 9109572488.