South Africans nominated their loved ones for the Liberty #DriveHope campaign in the hope of uplifting and inspiring them while getting them back on their feet.
South Africa (19 August 2021) – The Liberty #DriveHope campaign has already assisted thousands of people and their families across South Africa since it was launched in early 2020. Families and friends have nominated their loved ones, and this is how #DriveHope helped out!
The campaign was established in January 2020, starting at Liberty’s offices in Johannesburg. It was initially a platform for Liberty employees to nominate their colleagues – and their communities – who were struggling and needed a small boost to keep going. Sometimes, the help would be a simple care package for colleagues who were struggling to make ends meet; other times, it would be a drive to gather baby essentials for new moms in nearby communities.
It was inspired by the then recently inaugurated President Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2018 call for more social good, adopting the Hugh Masekela-inspired phrase “Thuma Mina” as the rallying cry.
While the initial internal campaign was already doing good for the community’s near and dear to the Liberty team’s heart, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the scope of #DriveHope had to be expanded. As #DriveHope gained traction on social and traditional media, calling for people to nominate their friends, communities and colleagues who needed help, suggestions began pouring in.
These are some of the lives changed thanks to the incredible #DriveHope campaign to date.
Bongiwe Mokoena
Bongiwe was nominated by a friend who wanted to honour this hard-working mom and get her the support she deserves. Bongiwe’s child is differently-abled and needs supervision while she is at work. Bongiwe taught her child the basics for doing chores, so she is able to care for herself, but supervision is still needed.
Through the #DriveHope campaign, Bongiwe was helped with an R3 000 Checkers voucher to use towards groceries.
Mawanda Marolen
Mawanda’s home burned down a month ago, and he lost almost everything. Mawanda’s mother was living with them, which meant he, his daughters and his mother lost everything they had worked all their lives for. The family are based in Daveyton, Gauteng, but they are staying with Mawanda’s uncle until they can get back on their feet. Sadly, the house is now being stripped and it will cost him even more to replace it all.
Mawanda’s cousin nominated him for the Liberty #DriveHope campaign. They have helped by donating a Checkers voucher to purchase groceries to the value of R2 000.
Joyce Lekalakala
Joyce is the sole breadwinner in her family, but she was declared medically unfit due to being diagnosed with Lupus, an autoimmune disease. For a time, her son was able to bring money home but his employment ended during the initial stages of the Lockdown.
Joyce was nominated in the hope that Liberty would be able to bring some relief to her life. The #DriveHope squad helped by donating an R4 000 Checkers voucher.
Lois Simonse
Lois has been running a soup kitchen every Tuesday to feed the community, using her own money to fund the project. She relies on donations and volunteers to assist with the cooking. The soup kitchen provides warm meals to the underprivileged in the Ennerdale community.
Some people wait all week to have a warm meal at Lois, often their only proper meal that week. The need for warm meals is growing and Lois is running out of food to give those in need.
She was nominated so that her soup kitchen can feed as many people as possible. The #DriveHope squad helped by donating R5 000 in vouchers.
Khanyi Magagula
This wife and mother of three has been providing for her family by sewing and repairing clothing in her community. She had bought her sewing machine secondhand, and it eventually broke.
Without a working machine, she is not able to support her family. A family member nominated Khanyi for the #DriveHope campaign, asking for help with a new machine. The #DriveHope Squad helped by donating a new sewing machine to get her back on her feet.
Good Things Guy Brent Lindeque chats to Karen to find out more about the “Drive Hope” initiative.
Listen to the interview below:
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