Plastic bottle tops and bread tags help people access wheelchairs in South Africa, all thanks to the Sweetheart Foundation.
South Africa (03 March 2022) – One person’s trash really can be another’s treasure. Imagine that all the plastic bottle tops you throw away could actually help a person with a disability access a new wheelchair? That is why the Sweetheart Foundation was founded.
The Sweetheart Foundation is a non-profit that raises funds for wheelchairs by recycling bottle tops and bread tags. The Tops and Tags project has benefitted the lives of many children in need. The foundation was established in 2013 and is 100% volunteer-based and community-driven.
To donate an 18-inch wheelchair, a person needs to collect 450kgs of bottle tops or 50kgs of bread tags. The amounts then differ if a child needs a specialised wheelchair or an electric one. The foundation believes that wheelchairs should be a fundamental human right, and any person that requires one should have one.
The organisation was able to donate 50 wheelchairs in 2021, a record number in their 9 years. They also partnered with MySchool card where you can now select the organisation as a beneficiary. The second substantial partnership has been with Community Hours SA – Sweethearts is able to assign community hours for tops and tags collected.
This kind of project can be quickly achieved when businesses, schools and creches take up the challenge. To date, they have donated 294 wheelchairs thanks to 43.3 tonnes of bottle tops and 5.9 tonnes of bread tags.
If you want more information, you can find more on the website and Facebook page. The website has a helpful map to find a drop-off site near you. Or you can join one of the provincial groups below.
You can find a Sweethearts Foundation Group near you. Take a look below.
If you are in need of a wheelchair, you can find out how to register for one here.
by 