The successful Ikageng Fun Run fundraiser on Saturday put smiles on the faces of the children of Ikhaya la Bantwana orphanage, which received groceries, clothing, sanitary pads and shoes from the organisers.
The 357 people who took part in the gruelling 8 km race and walk, woke up on a cold morning to get involved and donate to the shelter.
According to one of the organisers of the event, Kgomotso Mafoko, he and a friend, Letlamathebe Baepi, initiated the Ikageng Fun Walk/Run three years ago.
‘We realised that there wasn’t any event in Ikageng that ploughs back into the community. We decided to start organising events that would bring in donations for underprivileged individuals.
‘We then identified the Ikhaya la Bantwana orphanage in Ikageng, with the help of Thato “Pick 6” Masitenyane,’ said Kgomotso.
The friends’ mission is to grow the event and help those around them. ‘We want to see participants of different ages, genders and race, including those with physical challenges. We’d like the world to know that we need to help each other, no matter who we are or where we come from,’ he said. Among the children living in the shelter who met the exhausted but determined runners on Saturday is 18-year-old Nthabeleng Ntsizi. In a few months’ time, she will be jetting off to America to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After Nthabeleng impressed the judges at the Johannesburg drama auditions, they offered her a scholarship to study abroad.
She says she is ecstatic that her dream is finally coming true. Kgomotso reminded her to study hard and continue to be disciplined. ‘Remember that your brothers and sisters that you leave behind at the shelter will be looking up to you,’ he advised.
Kgomotso says their dream is to build a home for the children. ‘In the coming week, we will install a geyser and bring a gas stove,’ he said.
He called on the fellow participants of the event to ‘take a little of what you have and donate it to the shelter.
‘It could be a loaf of bread or maize meal to feed the children. It does not just take money to raise a child. By visiting the shelter and sitting and talking to the children, you will bring a smile to their faces’.
The sponsors included ABI, Jawitz Properties, Sanlam, ABSA Bult, Eastvaal Toyota, Virgin Active, Cargo Motors, Dr KK District Municipality, MEG Security, Katlego/Devine Café and the Masikhule project. Read more about the shelter: https://www.citizen.co.za/potchefstroom-herald/21495/ageing-caregiver-ready-to-pass-on-baton-to-ikageng-youth/
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