Friend Rallies to Bring Peace and Sunshine Back to a Father Who's Lost Everything

Photo Credit: Tatiana Syrikova via Pexels

When Jacques Botha reconnected with an old friend, he never could have anticipated the heavy life update he’d hear on the other end of the line. His friend had been through hell. But he was still showing up, still fighting. His only wish? To take his three remaining children to the ocean.

Amanzimtoti, South Africa (17 November 2025) – There are conversations shared with loved ones that just stay with us. When Jacques Botha reconnected with an old friend recently, a lighthearted catch-up soon turned into a conversation that revealed his friend’s toughest battles fought in silence.

Jacques’ friend, Jonathan, had lost two children and then his wife, less than two years later.

“As he started telling me what he’s been through, I realised I was listening to someone who has lost almost everything and is somehow still standing. I kept crying on the phone and saying to him, ‘I don’t know how you’re still standing, you have a fight in you that very few do’,” Jacques tells us.

In 2023, Jonathan lost his two youngest children to an illness, left to carry the grief of a lifetime of memories that never got created.

And then earlier this year, his wife, crippled by grief and loss, took her own life.

Jonathan’s world had collapsed, more than once. But somehow, despite everything, he’s been trying to hold things together to rebuild some kind of life. Not for himself, but for the three children he still has left.

He grows vegetables, rents out rooms, works long hours, and even joined the music team at a small church because, as he says, ‘when I sing, I feel alive again’.

“This man has been through hell. But he’s still showing up. He’s still fighting. Not once during our phone call did a single complaint or piece of gossip come out of his mouth,” Jacques recalls.

At one point during their conversation, Jonathan mentioned that his only dream was to take his children to see the ocean. To laugh, feel the sun and experience the joy of the seaside.

Moved by his dear friend’s simple desire after having gone through more than any man should ever have to, Jacques launched a crowdfunding campaign in his hopes to honour that wish.

“This isn’t a man looking for handouts. I just want to give him and his kids a reason to believe in people again. A few days by the ocean. A chance to breathe. A reminder that kindness still exists,” Jacques says.

Because sometimes hope comes in the form of strangers who refuse to look away, Jacques has reached out to the public for help to get Jonathan and his little ones to experience a week of peace in Amanzimtoti.

Funds raised will go towards accommodation, flights, car rental, fuel, activities, food and buffer.

“If we exceed the goal, every extra cent will go directly toward Jonathan’s ongoing needs for his children’s school costs, groceries, and small home repairs at his discretion.

“This isn’t luxury. It’s a lifeline. A week of peace, sunlight, and hope.”

To help give this family a week of healing, visit the funding page here.