Sixty-three families in Khayelitsha have each received R1500 in cash from a good Samaritan to help them get through the lockdown.
The money was handed over to the grateful families on Good Friday, after a domestic worker reached out for assistance to Mike Frantz of KeNako Asbl, a non-profit organisation registered in Luxembourg, which aids disadvantaged children in townships in Cape Town.
KeNako was founded in 2010 after the Soccer World Cup when Mike and others attended matches in Cape Town and were deeply moved by the optimistic spirit of South African people.
“A few days after the lockdown, I received an urgent call from our domestic lady Nolly asking us to help her out with money because she and her three kids were running out of food,” says Mike.
“She was told ‘no work, no pay’ and the social grant application was not yet in place.”
He immediately transferred R1500 into her bank account, and then realised that there must be more families in need.
“The real danger is not the Coronavirus, but the lack of food and electricity,” he says.
“We decided straight away to send out an emergency appeal to our members in Luxembourg and Europe to raise funds for ‘Urgent Needs’, to help out the families in Khayelitsha.”
Resident Loyiso Mfuku tracked down the needy families and thanked Mike for his generosity.
“We have a long history with Mike and I assisted since I am familiar with Khayelitsha,” he says.
“It was great to see people appreciating the little that was done for them.
“We did not want to give people food vouchers to avoid making them stand in long queues.”
ASSISTING: Loyiso Mfuku delivers R1500
A grateful Thuliswa Diamond says the money will go a long way: “This will assist us during the lockdown period and hopefully the lockdown will be over soon so we can start making a living again.”