Reagola, we love you

We've heard from one of our mystery R20 000 donors: it's Mr John Murray of Reagola Print and Mail. Their name means "we are growing" and their website promises real, human contact (rather than scripted support and IVR lines) so it's great to see they put their money where their mouth is - because to us, this kind of generosity definitely falls under "the human touch"!

We are so grateful. Thank you.

Pick 'n Pay can, so can you

We got a donation today from Suzanne Ackerman-Berman (Transformation Director at Pick 'n Pay) and husband Paul Berman following an interview on CapeTalk. Nice!

Great to see corporate representatives living their social responsibility values in a personal capacity as well.

Back in the game!

We were right - it was just a weekend lull *phew*

Today, so far, we have pledges from the following donors, adding up to R5 000 of our R10 000 target for the day:

Shen Cassim
Celeste
Chris van der Merwe
Biebie van der Merwe
Robert Morrell
Carla Lever
Pam Sykes
Raven Naidoo
Trevor Fleurs

...and it's only lunchtime. (We'll update more later.)

We've also had a fantastic missive from Lauren Lane, whose husband Richard has pledged to do the Comrades in aid of the Saartjie Baartman Centre on 3 June. So if you are approached by a lean man in trainers, be a dear and give him some money. It's going to a good cause. We promise.

Below target today - whoops

I think I need to have a word with that horoscope writer I spoke of earlier. We were fifteen pledges short of our target today, which means that if we want to stay on track, we need - gulp - 35 tomorrow. Yikes.

However, the good news is that we had five brandspankingnew pledges today and - most importantly - each R500 donation to the Saartjie Baartman Centre keeps one family away from their abusers, and safely off the streets, for six days.

Today we received donations from:

• Joanna Evans
• Miriam Mannak
• Marijke Mannak
• Edith V
• Jeanne V

Many, many thanks. Together, you are keeping a family safe at Saartjie Baartman for one month.

Good grief, Charlie Brown

Like many of us, I proclaim publicly that horoscopes are rubbish, and read my own slavishly anyway. There's a standing joke among journalists that there are no astrologers - there is just the reporter who's been relegated to the stars page as a last stop before getting fired. But today, I love that poor soul. Because this is what s/he said:

Is there some material need weighing on your spirit right now? If you can't see how to solve the problem alone, why not discuss it with your friends? They may have some ideas. Today, the word "impossible" has been banished from the English language. Take advantage of the opportunity and look for solutions in unlikely places.

Ha! You hear that? No such word as "impossible" today. Booya! Keep the support coming for Saartjie Baartman, people.

The beginning

The background

The Saartjie Baartman Centre for abused women and children offers a new life to families that have been devastated by abuse. It is located in Manenberg, one of the Cape's poorest areas, and many of the women literally have no other option - they can go to the centre while they build a new life, or they can live on the street, or go back to their abusers. The Centre, like many other NGOs and charities, is battling to secure funds from the expected sources. Now they are near the end of their existing funds and facing closure. If they don't get R100k by the end of May, they may be forced to close - and 20 families, small children and all, will be on the street.  You can read more here.

The challenge

We want to raise R100k by the end of May. This means we need 200 people to pledge R500. That's 20 people per day.

(Obviously if you cannot afford R500, every bit helps!)

The collection

I'm running this drive independently of the Centre and have been taking in the donations to present in a lump sum at the end of May. This is purely for tracking purposes. However, some potential donors have said they feel more comfortable donating directly to the centre. This is completely understandable! You do not, after all, have any proof that I am not a mad fraudster. It does, however, make it difficult to see how our pledge is going, so if you are more comfortable with this option, *please* mail me at marelise@gmail.com to let me know that you donated, and how much. We'll be posting progress reports here every day, so keep checking in to see how it's going.

The banking details

If you want to donate via the 100k in 10 Days Challenge (that's us!), it's ABSA savings 9156133936. NB: PLEASE USE THE REFERENCE BAARTMAN and send proof of payment to marelise@gmail.com.

If you want to donate directly to the centre, use the following details (and don't forget to let me know your pledge at marelise@gmail.com so we can track donations and post updates!)

The Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children
First National Bank 201509
Current account 62028179415
SWIFT Code: FIRNZAJJ

The conclusion

You are awesome. Thank you.