When RAD volunteers stepped into 70-year-old Francis’s home, which had a leaking roof and a wet bed that she shares with her beloved cats and sometimes her grandson, they just couldn’t turn away.
Western Cape, South Africa (30 July 2025) – Every now and then, there comes a moment that tugs at our heartstrings and quite literally stops us in our tracks, compelling us to extend a helping hand where it is truly needed.
For the Rescued Animal Drive (RAD) volunteers, this moment happened when they met Francis, an elderly woman who had recently brought in her cats to be sterilised. It was when the volunteers returned the sleepy sterilised cats to her home that they discovered the shocking conditions 70-year-old Francis had been living in all this time.
“It was a rainy day and the buckets were filling up fast,” a RAD member recalls.
“Even her bed was wet – a single bed that she shares with her cats and, on occasion, her grandson when things get too rough at home.”
Although the team wasn’t sure where to start, a longtime friend, Margaret Bonsall, offered to buy Francis a Wendy house. From there on it was all about teamwork to turn the structure into a cosy home.
“We ended up having to buy quite a few extras to finish construction, and a single mattress for the boy.”
Francis also received a lovely blanket with other pledged goods to follow.
“As you can see, the difference is life-changing. In the long run, we would like to raise funds for a bar fridge – or if anyone knows of someone selling one, and maybe a small two-seater couch.
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“It took a bit longer than we thought, but super happy that a person and their grandchild do not have to sleep on a cold and wet bed!”
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Sources: RAD
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