Reaching out to the vulnerable in the cold and wet weather
The Angels of Hope non-profit organisation based in Wellington, has, after heavy rainfall, strong winds, cold and wet conditions in the Drakenstein area, made it their mission to reach out to those most vulnerable and exposed to the inclement weather.
Karel Dampies, chairperson of the NGO, says they have been on outreach missions to help provide soup and bread to those living in the streets of Wellington these past few days.
“In Wellington Main Road we focused on men seeking work and standing on street the whole day (some of them not making any money for the day) - there we handed out soup and bread, and you could see the joy and happiness on their faces.”
On Monday August 26, the South African Weather Service predicted heavy rainfall and strong winds for both the Drakenstein and Paarl areas.
Karel says they assisted those in town and those living on the outskirts of town.
“We then also focused on people living in the rural areas outside the town where people have been affected by the water and weather.”
He thanked all donors who supported their work and invited more sponsors to come on board with donations for them to assist more people in need.
“Angels of Hope would greatly appreciate it if more sponsors can come on board - whether it be donations of second-hand clothing, non-perishable foods, blankets and toys, which we donate to educare centres.
The help from donors is valuable because without their help we would not be able to move forward in our work and we hope we can do so much more.”
Angels of Hope volunteer, Ashlin April, says she regularly joins in on the outreaches to hand out soup and bread to the community.
“I enjoy it and find it very interesting to communicate with people we meet.”
Mervan Heswick, another volunteer, says: “The suffering and plight of poverty is so real and communities ask for bread daily. I want to express my gratitude to all the sponsors that make our task so much easier to serve our communities with passion and love.”
Apart from assisting those affected by the harsh weather conditions, another current project the organisation is running is knitting teddy bears, to be donated to children in need, and the police trauma rooms - to be given to children affected by trauma.
He invites avid knitters to join them in this task and asks for donations of wool to assist them.
Donations can either be dropped off at 2 Duine Street, Van Wyksvlei, Wellington, or contact Karel to arrange a pick-up point on 082 471 3895.
