In keeping their mother’s legacy alive, siblings Nikita and Ricki Van Rensburg are on a mission to bring hope to the children of Gatjie. They’re raising all the funds to provide shoes, warm meals, and protection from the heavy rains that threaten their humble homes.
Diep River, South Africa (26 August 2025) – In the heart of Diep River is a small but incredible community known as Gatjie.
There, children often lack the most basic necessities and when heavy rains come, their homes leak or flood, leaving them cold and exposed. Yet, despite all of this, their spirit, resilience, and joy never fade – an optimism that has moved sister and brother, Nikita and Ricki Van Rensburg, to uplift these little lives.
In July, the siblings rallied support for the Gatjie settlement with a winter shoe drive, raising R21,500 and together with sponsors, managed to hire a hall to host a day of dignity with hot meals and brand-new sneakers for children who’d been walking barefoot through winter mud.
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A follow-up crowdfunding initiative set up in August is already changing lives, raising an additional R22,500 so far towards a R200,000 goal to keep food on the table and repair leaking shacks.
According to BackaBuddy, 18 donors have contributed across both campaigns, including two anonymous R10,000 donations in the first three days. Many more partners have also contributed goods, time, and heart.
Nikita shares that this calling to do good was inspired by their late mother, who started handing out hot meals in Diep River in 2018. She soon built strong community ties with the people of Gatjie, hosting Christmas parties and fundraising for school supplies for families in need.
When their mom passed away from a brain tumour, Nikita and Ricki promised to carry that legacy forward.
In addition to their crowdfunded initiatives, Nikita and Ricki also replaced roofs on a handful of shacks using their own funds recently.
But more families remain in need.
“We’ve made a priority list of homes needing repairs,” Nikita explains.
“It costs about R2,500 to replace a roof, and some homes just need patchwork.”
Nikita also recalls a heartbreaking moment that defined the urgent need for food in the area.
“I’ll never forget a three-year-old dipping her lollipop in water and saying it made her feel more full because that day, they could only afford the lollipop.”
It’s this very reality that keeps Nikita and Ricki steadfast in their mission to provide meals, fix roofs, and host regular kids’ days filled with play, learning, and love.
The funds raised will go directly to food, clothing and blankets, and the materials and labour needed to repair shacks so families can sleep without fear that the roof will collapse.
To make a donation visit their BackaBuddy page here.
Sources: BackaBuddy
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