StreetSmart SA raises R220k for street kids

Sintu Quza (The Kusasa Project), Pippa Shaper (Home from Home), Jacquie Spiers (The Kusasa Project), and Nils Heckscher (StreetSmart SA).

The Kusasa Project offers educational opportunities to vulnerable children from the informal settlement outside Franschhoek. The funds will go towards a social worker's salary, as well as an auxiliary social worker's salary.

Home from Home provides supported and supervised foster care for abandoned and vulnerable children in small family homes in their own communities. The money will fund the partial salary of a social worker, transport, communication and family reunification services in support of the foster mothers in Kayamandi and Cloetesville.

"Home from Home is thrilled once again to be the recipient of funding from StreetSmart for our Stellenbosch based homes. The challenges faced working with children who have been living on the streets are complex. Thanks to StreetSmart's support of Home from Home's projects in the Winelands area, our social work team are able to work alongside the Foster Mothers and children to ensure they receive the appropriate support, guidance, counselling and care," said Home from Home's development director, Pippa Shaper.

StreetSmart South Africa's other beneficiaries for 2015 are: Cape Town Multi Service Centre, Learn to Live, Ons Plek, and TLC Outreach Projects in Cape Town; Twilight Children, and Kids Haven in Johannesburg; PEN in Pretoria; and Masizame in Plettenberg Bay. All these charities are actively involved with the social development and rehabilitation of street children.

Leading the Winelands restaurants to become StreetSmart was Susan Huxter, owner of Le Quartier Français who started running StreetSmart there and at Bread & Wine in November 2007.

R5 makes a difference

"We are proud to have been part of StreetSmart in Franschhoek since the beginning. The contribution over the years to the community has been invaluable; it has helped us change lives over the years. It is an incredible initiative and we hope that it will continue to grow in the future. R5 makes a difference," exclaimed Huxter, owner of Le Quartier Français.

The first Stellenbosch restaurant to sign up in April 2009 was Rust en Vrede, with Chef David Higgs, a recipient of the 2010 Eat Out Top Restaurant, Service and Chef awards. Today with Chef John Shuttleworth and Restaurant Manager Andrea Shuttleworth at the helm, Rust en Vrede continues to run StreetSmart successfully. Cuvée Restaurant at Simonsig and Oude Werf Restaurant each received a certificate of contribution at the year-end function at The Bakery at Jordan in Stellenbosch.

"2014 has been another exceptional year for StreetSmart SA! For the first time, StreetSmart will be disbursing over 1 million rand to beneficiaries nationally. Through steady organic growth StreetSmart will continue its upward trend, with one aim: to help as many street children and children at risk, through successful partnerships and promoting responsible giving via StreetSmart restaurants," says Nils Heckscher, Chairman of StreetSmart.

Nationally there are currently 92 restaurants that have embraced StreetSmart's vision to make a real difference to the lives of street children. Funds are raised by adding a R5 donation to each table's bill at the participating restaurants. This donation is voluntary and diners are able to contribute more if they wish to.

StreetSmart restaurateurs and their diners are taking hands to make a difference in their communities. Nationally this partnership has raised more than R1,040,000 million during 2014, for organisations that are actively involved with social development and rehabilitation of street children with the ultimate goal of family reunification.

StreetSmart South Africa was set up in 2005 by a group of concerned Capetonians under the patronage of Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and comprises resourceful board members representing business and the hospitality and tourism industries. Similar StreetSmart organisations also run independently in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India, USA - San Francisco and The Netherlands.

It's registered as a public benefit organisation as well as a non-profit organisation and ensures that every cent donated by diners goes towards social and educational upliftment projects for street children. StreetSmart's goal is to be part of the process of social normalisation and to encourage the public not to give money into the hands of a child as this keeps them on the streets. In essence, eating and donating at a StreetSmart restaurant is the responsible way to help a street child.

For more information or to make a donation, contact StreetSmart on 021 418 0621. Email az.gro.astramsteerts@ofni or visit www.streetsmartsa.org.za.