The helpers and heroes need helpers and heroes too. And in Benoni and Boksburg, that’s exactly where the Humanity Foundation plays an incredible role of kindness, from helping feeding schemes with food to organising handiwork for shelters and making the Benoekie (Benoni’s giant koekie) fundraiser a success!
Ekurhuleni, South Africa (29 February 2024) — Making the Ekurhuleni community’s burdens lighter one challenge at a time are a special group of people who are in the business of leaving people better than when they found them. For many organisations in Boksburg and Benoni, non-profit company the Humanity Foundation are the glove that soften the blow of life’s toughest curveballs—from paying for a plumber at a children’s home to providing food for feeding schemes.
The Humanity Foundation is the glue that sticks the hopes and dreams of many charities together by calling on their own network and getting to work to make these ambitions possible. In this way, they are the helpers to the helpers—a role they serve proudly!
Says founding member and Chairperson Pierre Marneweck:
“We are a community-based organisation that works with friendly hearts for every single individual or group of individuals in need, in and around the Ekurhuleni Community…we are not afraid of getting our hands dirty, getting down on our knees and raising funds, including awareness campaigns/drives and advocacy. We are willing to work for and with any individual or group to ensure that we make a lasting difference in the lives of others.”
And a lasting impact is exactly what they’ve made already, which is pretty remarkable considering the Humanity Foundation’s story only really began in 2022.
Then, founding members decided it was time to start a community organisation that would put its energy into working with charities and NPOs who focus on:
- Gender-based Violence
- Early Childhood Development
- Child and Youth Care Centres
- Rehabilitation
- Community Safety and
- Community Health
“We help them so that they can help those they serve,” Pierre shares.
Some of the Humanity Foundation’s most imapctful moments in its young life have been making sure feeding schemes like Urban Ruins and Canaan Organisation have food to share (and that Canaan had the operational equipment neccessary to feed hungry tummies). And making birthday parties possible for the Matthew 25 Project. Not to mention, their involvement in helping the community when the Gas Tanker Explosion devastated a portion of Boksburg and Tambo Memorial Hospital—which is now an official Friend of the Humanity Foundation thanks to their help.
When it comes to individual impact, the Humanity Foundation takes a holistic approach seriously. As Pierre explains, “[We] will engage with individuals and try to establish the reason for them possibly being ‘down and out’, this could be because of spousal abuse, neglect, or addication. We try to get to the root cause, and then direct individuals to our partners,” he says of getting people to the centres and shelters that best fits them.
In 2024, the Humanity Foundation kicked off with a CANSAShavathon event where they engaged the community to get involved; raising R10 000 for CANSA. In a true reflection of their impact across all spheres, they are also working on a unique project called the Benoekie (Benoni Koekie), a huge cookie bake for important causes.The Humanity Foundation helped raise R7000 split amongst three charities—Clean Projects, Huis Charis and House Thandi.
In a nutshell, the Humanity Foundation are showing their community that there is a beautiful method to the madness of helping out wherever you can. And with enough friendly hearts taking the sentiment of helpers’ heroes seriously enough, we have a feeling there will be an abundance of more good news to share.
You can keep up with the Humanity Foundation here!
Sources: GTG Interview
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