The Help The Rural Child Charity Shop in Retreat has celebrated their 11th anniversary this week.
To celebrate, director Nicky Antonie dropped off cake with 11 candles to staff on Tuesday.
Help The Rural Child took over the shop from another charity that was struggling to keep it afloat 11 years ago.
“With the love and dedication from the shop manager, Grisilda Majiet, and her assistants, Rashieda and Liesel, they have turned the shop around and is now one of the top-performing shops of the Help The Rural Child Group,” says Antonie.
Help the Rural Child is a chain of retail charity shops that support the Goedgedacht Path Onto Prosperity Rural Youth Centres.
“Rural children often seem to go unnoticed and few people give much thought to them at all,” says Antonie.
“Although they are usually hidden from sight, they struggle each day to go to school and often leave home without food and proper clothing. Life is extremely tough for them.
Grisilda Majiet said it has been 11 wonderful years: “I remember when I started volunteering here it was a Good Friday. I am now a manager, it has been 11 successful years which has grown me personally.”
PASSION TO HELP: Shop manager Grisilda Majiet
She says their success would not have been possible without the people of Retreat.
“We provide people with affordable clothes. The people love this shop and always support it.”
The Retreat shop also has a furniture shop attached to it.
Majiet encourages people, especially the youth, to volunteer in charity shops: “They will gain skills which will help them in the future, like sales and communication.”