Agnes Zikhaw recently donated a wheelchair to Little Eden Society after she collected 485kg of plastic bottle tops over a two year period.
Little Eden Society is a non-profit home providing life-long care to 300 children and adults with profound intellectual disabilities. The children and adults are homed in two custom designed residential facilities – Domitilla and Danny Hyams Home in Edenvale, and Elvira Rota Village, a farm in Bapsfontein.
Agnes Zikhaw became inspired to help the home about three years ago when she and her employer started collecting bottle tops. Together they were able to donate two new wheelchairs to the home.
Determined to make an even greater difference, Agnes started her own collection of bottle tops. She spent the last two years collecting as many as she possibly could.
“To some people, the bottle tops may look like rubbish but I see them as a way to help others, I enjoy helping those in need or those who can’t help themselves, I look forward to bring happiness to other people.”
Agnes spent hours after work and on weekends collecting bottle tops from friends and neighbours, the roadsides on her daily commute and even the nearby landfills. She even recruited local recyclers by paying them R50.00 to give her their bottle top stock.
People in the Edenvale community heard of her efforts and started collecting for her as well. The older women would call Agnes to let her know that they had a collection for her. Nolene, Agnes’s employer let her keep the bottle tops in the back garden. According to Nolene, by the end, the garden was full.
Agnes chose to support Little Eden Society because so many of the residents don’t have a family to rely on. She sees herself as their mother or grandmother.
“I want to try to fill the role of the residents’ mother, sister or even granny. They are part of our community so if we don’t help them who will.”
Agnes is now 60 and is beginning to think of her own time here. She hopes that by paying it forward today, one day when she is older, someone might do the same for her.
She doesn’t plan to carry on collecting as it is tiresome work and she feels she is getting too old but she plans to continue servicing the community in any way she can. Agnes is a true community hero!
You can find out more about the Little Eden Society here. If you would like to start your own bottle top collection, the Sweethearts Foundation will be able to assist you. You can find full info on how to start here.
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