Wouldn’t it be wonderful to know that your next donation to someone living on the street was used to help rather than hinder that person’s chances of making a positive change in their lives? Wouldn’t it be a relief to know that your hard-earned cash was guaranteed to be used to help that person find a hot shower, a clean bed, a healthy meal or the counselling they need to get off the streets? Thanks to the latest initiative in the CCID’s GIVE RESPONSIBLY campaign, it is now possible to do just that.
Giving responsibly is now just the touch of a button away – literally. By sending an SMS containing the keyword “give”, “dignity”, “success” or “dreams” to 38088 you can not only ensure that you make a R10 donation to a reputable Central City NGO, but also rest easy in the knowledge that you are doing your bit to break the negative cycle that is too often the result of making a once-off cash donation to someone on the street. Donations will be equally distributed between the CCID’s six partner NGOs: Straatwerk, Ons Plek, The Carpenter’s Shop, The Homestead, Salesian Institute Youth Projects and The Haven.
The newest element in the GIVE RESPONSIBLY campaign features real-life stories of people who could (and did) turn their lives around as a result of interventions from these partner NGOs. Told through the eyes of an illustrated character who can currently be spotted in paste-ups around the city, the campaign presents the public with a story and an opportunity to choose how the story ends: give a cash handout and the negative cycle is reinforced, give responsibly and you give the chance for someone living on the streets to choose a more positive future. “When the public uses the SMS line to donate to the campaign, they are able to see the true happy endings to the story, and to see how their donations can literally change lives,” says Pat Eddy, Social Development manager for the CCID.
The campaign is the result of a collaboration between a number of different organisations: Vodacom has pledged its support by waiving all cell fees up to R40 000, local IT company iTouch has waived all their fees, and online reputation management consultancy BrandsEye has contributed its expertise pro bono. Design agency Infestation and digital development agency Worldwide Creative have also offered significant discounts on their fees.
“This campaign has really shown the power of local NGOs, government, the private sector and the public working together collaboratively. While we can’t alleviate homelessness overnight, we can all join to help the various NGOs in the CBD in the incredible work they are doing,” says Tasso Evangelinos, COO of the CCID. “We would like to encourage businesses in the CBD to get involved and challenge their staff to share the GIVE RESPONSIBLY message, and also for other CIDs to implement GIVE RESPONSIBLY in their own areas. This is an on-going campaign.”
<image> Smiley dreams give responsibly_510x_crop_90
Pat Eddy also underscores the fact that the GIVE RESPONSIBLY campaign aims to raise awareness of the plight of those living on the street as a whole. “We understand that for many members of the public, the instinct is to give money to people begging on the street because they believe it will give the person a chance to build a new life – or at the very least help them survive life on the street. However, we find that very often the money given is not used for basic needs such as food, clothing or shelter but rather to fuel addictions, resulting in homeless people sometimes rejecting assistance and committing themselves to a life on the street.”
Rather, the CCID encourages people to help the NGOs in any way they can, whether that be through donating financially or with donations of perishables, blankets, clothing or their time. The public is also invited to give their feedback by following the campaign online, on Facebook, and on Twitter, using the hashtag #GiveResponsibly.
The number for SMS donations is 38088. Every time you text the number, R10 will be deducted from your account, with an average of R8 going towards the NGOs depending on your service provider. The CCID is working hard to have the service fees of cell phone providers either eliminated or reduced, so that as much money as possible goes towards NGOs doing great work.
Find out more about the GIVE RESPONSIBLY campaign:
Visit the GIVE RESPONSIBLY website to view each story.
Read the true stories of how the right kind of help changed the lives of real case studies.
Word: Ambre Nicolson
Photos: Infestation