Gift of the Givers hand over containerised feeding centre to Touws River residents
Gift of the Givers teams were in the small railway town of Touws River in the Western Cape on Wednesday, where an internationally funded containerised feeding centre was unveiled.
Gift of the Givers handed over a containerised feeding centre in Touws River on 18 December 2024. Picture: Gift of the Givers/Facebook
CAPE TOWN - Humanitarian aid organisation, Gift of the Givers, has spent another year, successfully reaching out to thousands of people in need across the globe.
Reflecting on 2024, its founder, Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, had this to say.
"For 32 years, doing what I do, you reach a stage where you become very resilient. Challenges and difficulties is a normal part of your life every single day. You expect those challenges and you need to be resilient against that because you cannot afford to fall down, especially when people are dependent on you. Also because it's a spiritual calling, there is a lot of prayer and prayer and spirituality sustains you in what you do."
Gift of the Givers teams were in the small railway town of Touws River in the Western Cape on Wednesday, where an internationally funded containerised feeding centre was unveiled.
Over the years, the organisation has assisted the town, which has a high unemployment rate, with food, stationery for learners, clothing and medical services.
Sooliman said teams also handed out Christmas gifts.
"The klopse will be there. In their whole life, Touws River has not seen what the klopse is all about, so we are taking it there to give them some kind of entertainment for the festive season but more than that, to create more awareness of the feeding centre. That's part of the kind of things that we do, it's continuous sustainability."
Sooliman said the people of Touws River were resilient.
"They are always smiling when you see them, they clean the streets. If you drive through the town, you won't find a piece of paper anywhere on the road. They are so proud of their town, they are so positive inspite of their hardship and their difficulty. I ask your listeners, if you are going through Touws River, please stop in the town, buy something, they get empowered when you support their economy, you can create jobs again, we can help them without them having to stretch their hand out, that is how South African's help each other."