The GoodThingsGuy team have put together a list of organizations and institutions collecting funds and donations for fire victims.
With around 20 000 residents already having been evacuated from in and around the Garden Route, the fire currently raging in the region has been described by the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre, as one of the most destructive blazes in recent memory.
And even in the midst of this tragedy, we can catch a glimpse of the positive. Amid the destruction and the fear, we see the depths of human kindness.
South Africans from all over the country are assisting the fire victims with donations of goods, time and money. The GoodThingsGuy team have been inundated with emails from people asking how they can help so we have put together a list of official organisations and corporates that are collecting funds and donations:
- The SPCA in each of the affected and surrounding area’s are taking in injured animals (wild and domesticated), many of whom are lost and scared. Their organisations use donations towards medical costs, housing and feeding the animals.
- Knysna Animal Welfare Society (KAWS) is also working to help the displaced and injured animals. They are collecting cat, dog, kitten and puppy food as well as financial donations.
- Pick n Pay is directly delivering online orders to the Knysna Fire Relief. They have a full list of things needed during this time.
- Various Courier Services such as DHL have been offering free delivery on donation items going to affected areas. These items are being delivered to official Knysna Fire Relief organisations.
Official Disaster Relief funds. Most are allocated to “The Gift of the Givers” Foundation which is a transparent organisation. They are the largest disaster response NGO in Africa and facilitate the allocation of funds and ensure that those most affected receive the necessary assistance.
- MiWay Insurance has started disaster relief fund, to kick it off they added R 300K to the fund. The donations made can be as little as R1.00! The funds are being handed over to The Gift of the Givers Foundation.
“This Fund is our way of helping to address those needs and provide the South African public with a reliable solution to make donations for worthy causes. We are encouraging our staff, MiWay clients and the public at large to get behind this effort to help South Africa rise.” – MiWay CEO, René Otto
- The Gift of the Givers have direct relief funds as well to make donations to! For more information about how to help, you can email them directly here!
- The Knysna Municipality has also allowed donations to be sent in. They tweeted again the urgency of ensuring the banking info you have is vetted and correct!
#KnysnaFire Beware of scam artists taking advantage of this tragedy. These are our official vetted accounts .
Thank you for donations made . pic.twitter.com/t1uAYeMHZA— KnysnaMunicipality (@KnysnaMuni) June 11, 2017
Please remember that this fire crisis isn’t a June 2017 issue, it will take months, maybe even years to rebuild the lives of people who lost everything!
Let us remember the people living in poverty who lost their homes and won’t have insurance policies or back-up funds to start over! These donations will help them the most!