A least once a year my wife loves to do a spring clean at home. She will tell you that she hates to do it, but secretly I think she loves doing it as it gives her the chance to re-organised the kids messy cupboards.

First task is to go through our kids cupboards and take all the clothes and shoes that no longer fit them and put them in a big black bag. Once that has been done task two is to sit with each of our kids and go through all their toys and stuff in their rooms that they accumulated during the year from birthday parties and Christmas, see what they no longer play with, or want anymore and that gets put in a separate bag. From a young age we have told our kids that there are people that are less fortunate then us and not to be wasteful.

After the rooms have been cleaned, cupboards re-organised we sometimes have one or two bags of goodies. Our domestic who has been with us for many years always gets first dibs at the bags and she always only takes a few items for her children. When we stayed on the Atlantic Seaboard side we would venture to Nazareth House and drop the bags off and the nuns there were always so grateful and happy to see a bag of goodies.

A month ago it was spring cleaning time again, and like every year wife and kids would go through their cupboards and put what they didn’t want anymore into bags. Since we moved to Monte Vista a year ago  I was dreading of having to drive all the way to Nazareth House to go an donate the bags of clothes. (I just hate driving all the way to town now days as traffic is just horrendous anytime of the day)

I started to then think there must be a NPO or place close by in Monte Vista or surrounding areas where we could donate these clothes and toys. Posting on Facebook someone suggested Nehemiah Safe House which was just in Tulbagh Street, great just down the road and no need to venture to town I thought. Googling Nehemiah Safe House I came across and article (can’t remember where) about Nehemiah Safe House which was started by Bronson and Amy Vos and was really touched about what they were doing.

Nehemiah Safe House is a registered NPO (167-855), who look after and care for abused, neglected and abandoned children in a loving and stable family home.

Their main mission is to install in their children that their pasts don’t define their future and offer them a safe place to live out their purpose. It made me think, looking after your own kids is a hard task in itself, looking after abandoned, abused and neglected kids that are not your own, wow that takes a huge amount of dedication. and courage.

So if you want to donate food, clothing etc. please donate wisely and rather donate to a NPO like Nehemiah Safe House rather than dumping it or giving it to the vagrants at the traffic lights. For more information on Nehemiah Safe House please visit their website: www.fostercare.co.za or email Amy on amy@fostercare.co.za

Anyone know of any other NPO’s or organisations around the area where the community can make donations, let me know and I will gladly post their details on the Monte Vista Ratepayers website.

written by

John Rufino