StreetSmart hands over R15,000 in aid of vulnerable children
StreetSmart hands over R15,000 in aid of Pretoria’s vulnerable children
StreetSmart SA, an organisation dedicated to helping street children rebuild their lives R5 rand at a time through donations from restaurants, accommodation establishments and wine tasting venues in the Western Cape, Garden Route, Gauteng and KZN, has handed over R15,000 to PEN Projects in Pretoria.
PEN Projects provides support and supervised foster care for boys living on the street and is the Pretoria beneficiary of StreetSmart’s total allocation of over R1 million nationally for 2020 to 36 programmes working with children at risk.
“StreetSmart helps us to provide our children with a home where they can be re-educated by
learning life skills and values, where they are treated with dignity, can develop self-respect and have hope for the future. Thank you to StreetSmart – you invested into the lives of each of the children in our home,” said Clement Kgafane, PEN OVC Homes Manager.
StreetSmart is a community initiative that raises funds for programmes that support social normalisation of vulnerable and street children making a real difference to their lives, in partnership with restaurants, accommodation establishments and wine tasting venues. Funds are raised by adding a R5 donation to each patron’s bill. This donation is voluntary and donors are able to contribute more if they wish to. With this generous gesture, StreetSmart establishments and their guests are real change makers in their own communities.
“With the help of our generous supporters, StreetSmart continues to stand out as an important conduit of much needed funding for our beneficiary organisations. In spite of current financial pressures making it harder for people to donate, StreetSmart will be disbursing over R1 million to beneficiaries nationally for the sixth consecutive year, enabling us to support 36 programmes. We are so excited to be able to continue this work through responsible giving and we invite restaurants, accommodation establishments and wine tasting venues to become StreetSmart in their local communities,” says Melanie Burke, Chairman of StreetSmart SA.
StreetSmart SA was set up in 2005 by a group of concerned Capetonians under the patronage of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and comprises resourceful board members representing business, and the hospitality and tourism industries. Similar StreetSmart organisations also run independently in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and The Netherlands.
StreetSmart SA is registered as a Public Benefit Organisation as well as a Non-profit Organisation and ensures that every cent donated by guests goes towards social and educational upliftment projects for street children. StreetSmart’s goal is to be part of the process of social normalisation and to encourage the public not to give money into the hands of a child as this keeps them on the streets. In essence, donating to StreetSmart where you eat, drink and sleep is the responsible way to help a street child.