Kelly-Ann Kidgell runs a charity that has been assisting the Ntshongweni Township’s special needs school and now they are building a proper building for them.
‘Feed Play Love’ is a small charity run by Kelly-Ann Kidgell which helps the community of Ntshongweni care for their children with special needs. The centre makes use of a dilapidated building to house the children during the day.
The building presents a number of challenges for the people who care for these children. For starters, it has no electricity or toilets and secondly, there is no security measure in place such as fencing so children can run off if not watched over. Kelly’s charity has been helping to feed the children and make sure the small centre stays open so the children have a safe space to spend their days.
“Thozama, the earth angel looking after these sweet beings does so without any government funding and receives no income. Looking after any child is a tough job, never mind children with these varied disabilities. “
Having a time limit on the use of the dilapidated building, Kelly-Ann managed to secure a piece of land and is now raising funds to build a special needs school for the community. The goal is a humble but effective one, a total of R50,000 is being raised and already, just over half has been paid forward by various donors.
Kelly isn’t just asking for financial donations… in return, she and Murray are swimming through ice-cold water (nearly every day) in preparation for the Freedom swim in April 2019.
The Freedom swim is from Robben Island to Big Bay beach (7.5km) and features Atlantic ocean temperatures of 16 degrees or below. The duo has been training by waking up before the crack of dawn and swimming through any body of water cold enough to prepare them for the Freedom swim.
“But for now, it’s cold and dark wintery 5 am starts to train in 15-degree water for a few hours. It’s tackling sea swims, trying not to think about sharks, juggling our wonderfully supportive families, and keeping a solid sense of humour amid the ice cream headaches, aching muscles and abundance of nerves (and excitement).
Mostly though, it’s staying focused to hopefully make a difficult life that little bit easier for those less fortunate.”
You can help the duo out by donating here or follow their journey on Facebook here.
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