Johannesburg - Despite the challenges facing South Africa, Good Samaritans are doing their bit daily to alleviate the suffering faced by many.
Employee volunteering has become the hallmark of many corporations and provides opportunities and resources for employees to support causes close to their hearts.
Joburg resident, Faeeza Marshman, recently walked off with the top honours at the Momentum/Metropolitan Lesedi Spirit of Volunteering Awards.
With the theme “I am here”, the annual event is held to acknowledge and honour the efforts and impact made by those volunteers. Marshman, an administration manager, said the work wasn’t easy but added that she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“There are many challenges I face daily. It is so rewarding and it gives me courage to go out and do more, because I can see it is well appreciated – not only by my peers but in my community. Volunteering to me is giving back to the community, seeing smiles, and giving quality of life to people,” she said.
Every year, those recognised as being the most dedicated and active volunteers within their communities walk away with prize money that is donated on their behalf towards the non-profit organisations of their choice.
“The project to which I am volunteering my services is a 10-storey building in Claremont, Johannesburg, which houses 60 families, approximately 700 people. This building is not fit for an animal to live in.
“I am working with local government to try and get the occupants of the building re-allocated to better living conditions,” Marshman said.
When she’s not busy with housing projects, this do-gooder serves the elderly by attending to their needs, providing food parcels when possible and spoiling them.
“Some days I just go around and visit them and put smiles on their faces. Giving the elderly time makes an enormous difference to their lives. I have an open-door policy at my home. There is always help if needed, something to eat a small parcel wherever I can assist,” she said.
Marshman is a woman who can indeed do it all, from assisting abused women and children to find a safe place to stay, to helping drug addicts who want to get clean and even patrolling the streets of her neighbourhood, Bosmont.
“Because of the high rate of unemployment, there is such a huge need for assistance in the communities and one is unable to see the difference on a big scale. Providing feeding schemes and grocery parcels relieves hunger for a short period.
“Providing school uniforms and stationery puts a smile on the kids’ faces, but next year they are faced with the same situation, because there were no changes in the home. I am humbled and I accept these awards with humility.” she said.
Corporate social investment (CSI) manager at Momentum/Metropolitan, Tshego Bokaba, said while their mandate was primarily focused on youth upliftment, they recognise that it’s vital for people to feel that they are a part of something more meaningful than “just a job”.
“It is important to us that we offer plentiful opportunities for them to give back and support the causes that they care about, which we achieve through our volunteerism programmes, as well as other initiatives such as our official CSI leave day and of course, our annual Lesedi Awards.
“Our volunteers are committed to people, to change and to making an impactful or sustainable difference – and this is worthy of recognition,” she added.
This year’s Lesedi Awards, featured eight categories, including education initiatives, sports development, environmental projects, hunger and nutritional programmes, abused women and children support, crime prevention, literacy programmes, animal welfare, various relief interventions and community development.
“Faeeza has been feeding the poor and caring for abused women, children and the elderly in the Bosmont and Riverlea areas for several years.
“She is currently focused on increasing awareness around self-funded crime prevention measures, and is looking into opening a safe house, soup kitchen and rehabilitation centre for abused individuals. She also recently registered her own non-profit organisation, the Marshman Foundation,” said Bokaba.
Other notable winners on the night included Namibia’s Petronela Namushinga who walked off with the Lesedi International Volunteer award. Namushinga supports the Booming Empowerment Project, in Namibia which educates more than 260 youth about health issues, HIV prevention, GBV awareness and essential life skills.