We started 2021 on a positive note by donating a total of R75,000 to three PayFast registered causes: Missing Children South Africa, Operation Hunger and the Karoo Animal Protection Society.
For the past few years we have made it a PayFast tradition to help three registered causes start their year off in the best possible way: a financial donation that will help them in their important work of giving back to their communities. At the end of every year we select a list of registered PayFast causes who are actively using PayFast to receive online donations and who haven’t received a donation from PayFast in the past. We then ask PayFast merchants to vote for the charity that most resonates with them. This time round the top three selected causes were awarded a R25,000 donation each from PayFast.
The organisations that were chosen to receive the donation are focused on three very different important causes. Missing Children South Africa plays a vital role in assisting the South African Police Service when a person goes missing; Operation Hunger is dedicated to the fight against malnutrition in South Africa; and the Karoo Animal Protection Society is the only organisation providing a mobile service for animals in the deprived areas of the Little Karoo. You can find out more about each cause below:
Missing Children South Africa
Education and community engagement is truly the heart of Missing Children South Africa. Their ‘MCSA Education 101’ programme; ‘Safety Tips for Children’ and the ‘Safety Tips for Parents’ has saved many lives, and many children from going missing, since they launched the programme online. In their more than 10 years of experience they have identified that the major cause of children going missing in South Africa is a lack of basic educational tips; for example that parents MUST not wait for 24 hours to report a child that has gone missing. This is a myth, and if a child is reported missing immediately, the chances of recovering that child in the first ‘golden 2 – 3 hours’ is far more successful.
“Thank you PayFast for this incredible donation, and especially to your merchants who voted for Missing Children South Africa as a cause that most resonates with them. We will use the funding to continue promoting our ‘Safety Tips for Children’ and our ‘Safety Tips for Parents’ across our social media platforms, which deals with child safety,” said Tom Dixon, Managing Director of Missing Children South Africa.
“Our education tools focus on not only the dangers, but also the solutions with regards to what to do to keep children safe, and especially what not to do. Our website acts as an emergency report facility, where you can report a missing person, as well as being a platform for informational and educational material with regards to Child Safety,” continued Tom.
You can find out more about Missing Children South Africa on their website, Facebook page and PayFast Cause page.
Operation Hunger
COVID-19 has arrived at a time of unprecedented global need affecting global food systems, supply chains and purchasing practices. With 1 in 9 people hungry or undernourished globally, many vulnerable community members have been left exposed due to poor diets and resulting malnutrition. In recognition that this is not merely a matter of choice, Operation Hunger, a non-profit organisation, is creating sustainable food systems for affordable healthy diets across South Africa. In doing so, the NPO is combating malnutrition and food insecurity as the loss of income resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has led to higher levels of food insecurity across the country.
“With no less than 3 million people having been recorded as having lost their jobs in South Africa, we are grateful to corporates like PayFast for their continuous support and investing in efforts that seek to address nutrition inequalities. This contribution ensures Operation Hunger improves access to healthy diets and quality nutritional care,” said Sandy Bukula, CEO of Operation Hunger.
You can find out more about Operation Hunger on their website, Facebook page and PayFast Cause page.
The Karoo Animal Protection Society
The Karoo Animal Protection Society (KAPS) is the only organisation providing a mobile service for animals in the deprived areas of the Little Karoo in rural South Africa. KAPS is run by a management committee and a network of volunteers who are based in Calitzdorp, Ladismith, Van Wyksdorp and Barrydale. But their work is seldom done in towns. KAPS is out on the road on a daily basis taking services into the rural communities, farms and deprived townships, many of which many can’t be found on a map.
“The Karoo Animal Protection Society would like to thank PayFast very much indeed for lending their support to KAPS on behalf of all the animals in the impoverished communities. This donation from PayFast is going to go towards our sterilisation clinics which are the most important feature of our organisation – ensuring no more unwanted puppies who will endure a life of suffering. From all of us here – thank you so very much!”
You can find out more about the Karoo Animal Protection Society on their website, Facebook page and PayFast Cause page.
We would like to send out a heartfelt thank you to all of our merchants who took the time to vote for their favourite cause. We hope that our donations will help Missing Children South Africa, Operation Hunger and the Karoo Animal Protection Society continue their important work in 2021.
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