The Mustadafin Foundation is again hoping to put smiles on the faces of vulnerable children and orphans this festive season.
“Every child deserves a happy, healthy childhood and the opportunity to build a brighter future. Let’s share the blessings by giving special educational gifts to children in need,” says Ghairunisa Johnstone-Cassiem, director of Mustadafin Foundation.
When considering the Western Cape alone, orphans and vulnerable children are faced with numerous challenges such as high levels of poverty, living in child-headed households and suffering from trauma associated with drug and alcohol abuse, gangsterism and crime.
Mustadafin Foundation has taken up the battle to protect South Africa’s orphans by establishing programmes that help reduce the rate of poverty in communities and improve their lives in practical ways.
For the past 31 years, the Mustadafin Foundation has hosted Christmas lunches for sick children at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital and for disadvantaged communities in Mitchell’s Plain, Brooklyn, Khayelitsha and many other parts of the Western Cape.
This year the organisation will also be helping children from Grabouw, a farming community with extreme poverty and a high unemployment rate.
The Mustadafin Toy and Stationery Drive aims to assist 1 000 orphans and vulnerable children this year. By giving toys and stationery gifts to children, it will ease the financial pressure put on poor households to purchase essential school items at the start of the new school year. “We hope to distribute toys and stationery gifts to 500 children in Tafelsig, 200 in Grabouw, 100 in Khayelitsha, 50 in Hanover Park, 50 in Manenberg and 100 in Delft,” says Ms Johnstone-Cassiem.
You can support the Toy and Stationery Drive by donating new, wrapped or unwrapped gifts for children who might not otherwise receive a gift.
“Unwrapped gifts will be wrapped and distributed to children between the ages of three and 16 years old. Gifts can be dropped at 30 Turfhall Road in Lansdowne. Arrangements can be made for large quantities of gifts to be collected,” said Ms Johnstone-Cassiem.
Up to five years of age: dolls, teddy bears, baby clothes, bath toys, nursery rhymes, puzzles, action figures, books, colouring sets, pencils and
crayons.
Six to nine years: educational toys, stationery (colouring sets, books, pencils, crayons, school sets), puzzles and word searches.
Nine to 12 years: games and toys, stationery, books, clothing, gloves, scarves and hats.
13 to 16 years: books, gloves, scarves, hats, school shirts and toiletries.
For more information, call the Mustadafin Foundation on 021 633 0010 or WhatsApp 079 567 3645 or visit
www.mustadafin.org.za