We^Can is an initiative that launched on the day before the national COVID-19 lockdown began in South Africa. This organisation enables passionate South Africans to make a positive long-term impact in addressing the challenges in needy communities, simply and within their own financial means.
Since the online platform went live eight weeks ago, the We^Can community has successfully collected and donated 45 667 kg worth of food in 31 separate projects. The more than 45 tons of food has provided approximately 170,000 meals to various We^Can beneficiaries in Gauteng and Limpopo. However, with the extended lockdown period, the number of people in need is increasing daily.
Kameeldrift Primary School is a beneficiary of the Atterbury Trust and its surrounding residents are one of the communities that have been deeply affected by the lockdown. The circumstances in this community are generally challenging. Most of the 700 pupils in the school rely on the one meal a day they receive from the school. But over the past few weeks, the lockdown has made life in this community particularly tough. The need has become severe, with more than 400 families depending on donations for their daily sustenance.
We^Can is tackling this challenge. This week, We^Can aims to provide each family with a bag of fresh vegetables as well as a bag of flour to help address their food shortages. From June 1 to 7, the public can purchase both of these products online for only R49. We^Can will then provide the food to the school for distribution within this community.
We^Can obtains nutritious food items for its projects at the best possible prices from food producers and suppliers across South Africa. The good prices from food producers and suppliers, as well as each individual or company donation, contribute to a sustainable model that ensures the continuous support of We^Can beneficiaries. Without the help of the public, this initiative wouldn’t be possible. “This model works very well because we address each beneficiary’s specific needs with food obtained at prices that add more value to every cent,” says Francois Mouton, founder and CEO of We^Can.
We^Can currently comprises two initiatives - “LIVE” challenges and “SHOP4 Heroes”. It is building on the success of its “LIVE” challenges where We^Can tackles one project at a time. The “LIVE” challenges seek to collect specific amounts of food items on behalf of a particular We^Can beneficiary, or hero, within a few days. Once the online public purchases reach the target, the products are given to the We^Can beneficiary organisation to distribute to the people in their care.
However, it has become clear that the need is too great to support only one We^Can beneficiary at a time and the initiative is now being expanded with a second initiative called, “SHOP4 Heroes”. This online store allows people to shop for their chosen We^Can hero at any time of the month according to a specific list, which includes the suitable quantities required for beneficiaries’ food parcels.
The We^Can beneficiaries care for the vulnerable in our country, and We^Can wants to enable them to continue the good work they do every day. That’s why Power of Co and Atterbury Trust have now joined forces to expand We^Can’s impact further and reach more communities across South Africa on a new online platform called https://wecanSA.co.za/
According to Zahn Hulme, executive trustee of the Atterbury Trust, they are very excited to be part of We^Can and believe that this organisation enables individuals and companies to make a difference in a simple way, no matter how big or small the contribution. “We^Can is a transparent platform that responsibly utilises donor funds to assist communities in need.”
The We^Can website, www.wecanSA.co.za, offers easy access to a Payfast payment system that also works on smartphones, enabling all South Africans as well as people around the world to make a difference in the lives of needy South Africans. #WeCan
