For her 35th birthday, the amazing Nisha Varghese is fundraising for an organisation that shaped her understanding of love, dignity, and what it truly means to give a child a fair start in life.
East London, South Africa (06 March 2026) – Nisha Varghese believes deeply that every child deserves to start life on a level playing field. Not a perfect or easy one. But simply one where their basic needs are met. Where they are safe, fed, held, and given a chance because their life matters.
A young South African with cerebral palsy, who has been deservingly honoured as a hero more than once, Nisha is no stranger to Good Things Guy, and as she approaches her 35th birthday, Nisha continues a commitment she has held for years – fundraising for and supporting Breath of Life.
The organisation has profoundly shaped her understanding of love, dignity, and what it truly means to give a child a fair start in life. This year, she is marking her birthday by raising R35,000 to support its work.
For many babies and toddlers in South Africa, the starting line is already far behind. They are born into circumstances they did not choose: abandonment, neglect, poverty, or unsafe environments. Breath of Life exists for those children.
It offers a safe haven for vulnerable babies and toddlers, many of them just days or weeks old when they arrive. It is a place where fragile lives are stabilised before they have the chance to unravel. Babies are fed on time, changed on time, soothed when they cry, and held when the world has already failed them.
Nisha has been volunteering with Breath of Life for eight years, and what stands out to her most is that the work is not flashy. As she puts it, there are no dramatic rescue moments. Instead, there is consistency. Routine. Love shown in ordinary, faithful ways: warm bottles, clean nappies, cooked meals, midnight check-ins, and caregivers who show up again and again.
That kind of care changes trajectories.
For her 35th birthday, Nisha’s goal of R35,000 is symbolic, but also deeply practical. The funds raised will directly support the day-to-day care of babies and toddlers.
Those who would like to support this birthday fundraiser can contribute here. All funds raised will go toward the care of vulnerable babies and toddlers and the essential running costs at Breath of Life, including caregiver salaries, water, electricity, and other day-to-day operational needs.
Nisha often says that Breath of Life does not give children a head start; it gives them a fair one. And in a world marked by deep inequality, fairness is a radical act.
For those who wonder whether a single donation can truly make a difference, she speaks from lived experience:
“It does. These children do not need grand gestures. They need many small, faithful acts of care layered over time.”
As she marks 35 years of her own life, Nisha is choosing to honour it by investing in lives that are just beginning.
Because birthdays come and go. But a child’s start in life lasts forever.
Sources: Nisha Varghese
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