Love to Give: Empowering the Stellenbosch Community through Collaboration
Love to Give has been making a significant impact in Stellenbosch, supporting families whose lives are compromised by poverty. In 2005, Mrs N. Migijima, the Principal of Ikaya Primary School at the time, approached Love to Give founder Annabel Rosholt to ask her to help feed children who are coming to her school hungry, and thus Love to Give was started.
For the past eighteen years, Love to Give has been dedicated to providing tangible support to those in need. Through their various initiatives they have fostered community development, nourished 1500 school children daily, empowered hundreds of unemployed adults, offered one-year paid work experiences and mentored 50 youth annually.
The Power of Collaboration:
Love to Give has established vital partnerships with numerous non-profit organisations in Kayamandi and the wider Stellenbosch community. “As a well-established hub in the community, we are often approached to collaborate with other organisations who hear about us either by word-of-mouth or via social media,” says Annabel, project director. Love to Give sees enormous value in collaboration and sharing of resources, knowledge, and expertise.
Connecting through SCAN:
One of the valuable connections Love to Give has made is with SCAN (Stellenbosch Civil Advocacy Network). SCAN serves as a bridge, connecting NGOs working in similar areas to ensure coordination and avoid redundancy. SCAN’s role in creating awareness, facilitating networking, and organising working groups has been instrumental in fostering collaboration within the Stellenbosch community.
Connection that impacts a community:
Through SCAN, Love to Give has gained access to a network of organisations working towards similar goals. SCAN’s working groups have proven to be effective platforms for researching specific challenges and collectively devising solutions.
Love to Give has provided support to 1235 job seekers, empowering them to start their own home gardens and small businesses, write or improve their CVs, and attend external skills training.
Participants express their gratitude, one stating “I will make sure I go for what I want with no fears. This programme has re-built my faith”.
Ikaya Primary School has witnessed the positive impact of Love to Give’s youth interns, who have helped improve attitude, positivity, cooperation, self-esteem, school attendance, and results through one-on-one interactions with learners. Deputy-Principal and Grade 3 teacher, Mrs Weziwe Mavovana, acknowledges this, saying, “Our school has high enrolment which makes it very difficult for individual attention”.
Love to Give supports 200 families annually in Kayamandi in a 6-month Sustainable Livelihoods programme. These sessions, framed as workshops, focus on parenting, gardening, health and nutrition, spiritual and personal development. Their most recent collaboration with the Greater Stellenbosch Trust means that through the IDC and the Citizen Connect programme, these participants are employed two days a week and earn a wage.
Love to Give’s commitment to collaboration has made a lasting impact on the Stellenbosch community. They actively seek partnerships and connect with networks like SCAN to enhance their reach and address challenges together. Their work exemplifies how collaboration empowers communities and creates a brighter future for those affected by poverty. Love to Give’s dedication and collaborative spirit continue to make a tangible difference in the lives of Stellenbosch families, showing that together, remarkable things can be achieved.
How to get involved:
Please e-mail, Hester Verschuur (Centre Manager), at hester@lovetogive.org.za, if you
would like to get involved with any of Love to Give’s programmes or to visit the centre.
To support Love to Give financially, please find the information on their website: wwwlovetogive.org.za
