By: Zethu Gweva
Buffalo City Caregivers is a nonprofit organisation which was established in 2006 to cater for homeless people in Buffalo City Metro.
Speaking to Buffalo City Metro News, Founder and Chairperson of Buffalo City Caregivers Yolanda Brandy Toni said the idea of establishing this organisation was inspired by her mother who used to feed a man from the streets everyday.
“Each time my mother cooked a meal, she would dish-up for a homeless man called Andile and every time he sat on a certain chair or used a spoon, I made sure I don’t ever use it. Then one day he stopped coming over,” she said.
When Toni completed her matric in 2009, she went to study at Tshwane University of Technology where she noticed the boys who sat in front of the school gate and decided to give them food whenever she could.
When Toni came back to East London in 2014, she picked up where her mother left off and continued cooking meals for the less fortunate, where she met a social worker called Phato who asked her if she was a registered NPO, in 2017.
“I didn’t know what an NPO was, he explained to me that if I am registered, the Department of Social Development would help me with the bread I was giving these people. As part of the requirements to register an NPO, we had to be a group of 3 people,” said Toni.
Toni then partnered up with Phelo Njece and Ayanda to register the NPO at Social Development in 2017 and later saw the expansion of the organisation when it started to have more members.
One of the major challenges faced by the organisation is not having shelter to accommodate people who want go back to school but have been thrown out of their homes because of drug abuse. Toni said they need something like a rehab centre so that all those who are using drugs can be rehabilitated and those who want to go school can go to school.
Buffalo City Caregivers Member Luvuyo Figlan pleaded with government and everyone to assist them with blankets, clothes and washing rags. Figlan said people should stop discriminating against homeless children because they have heartbreaking reasons that forced them to leave their homes and that instead of calling them names, we should help them. To lend a helping hand contact Buffalo City Caregivers on 0710205632 or email brandymtsaka@gmail.com.