The importance of charity

STARFISH foundation, SOUTH AFRICA

Starfish is a charity based in South Africa, whose aim is to help and support vulnerable children and citizens diagnosed with AIDS or HIV by working in partnership with community based organisations, as well as having workshops set up around the country. Examples of activities they carry out include: conducting regular home and school visits, distributing emergency relief supplies, operating early learning centres for children, holding regular volunteer meetings, supporting the development of vegetable gardens, soup kitchens, as well as generating projects and organising community awareness campaigns. When I was looking through Starfish’ s website, I was struck by the many success stories they ’ ve had (and the 200,000 children they ’ ve helped so far). A story that really moved me was that of a 14 year- old girl named Lindiwe. After her school attendance inexplicably declined, a school principal decided to request a Starfish home visit. This revealed that one girl was shouldering the full responsibility of maintaining a household and caring for four younger siblings. However, through regular homevisits and Starfish carer support, her family is now back on track with financial support and Lindiwe is excelling in school. Personally, this is what charity is all about- kindness and giving.

The Importance of Charity

The definition of ‘ charity ’ is

‘the voluntary giving of help, typically in the form of money, to those in need. ’ Everyone reading this is in a place of great privilege- we have a home, nutritious food, fresh water, and a valuable education. These are all the things we often take for grantedwhen you go to your sink to get a glass of water, do you realise how lucky you are? As we are in these positions, we have to help those who aren ’t so fortunate- who live in shacks, who have to travel miles to collect water, who can ’t go to school. Even today, the inequality gap is expanding at a rapidly alarming rate- it’ s our job to close it. Recently in my RPE lessons, I have been taught about the Buddhist principle of ‘loving kindness ’ , which is effectively the spread of compassion., a key trait which is in our human nature. We will hopefully never experience what millions of people are suffering- poverty, starvation… the list goes on. But we are the ones who can do something, who can use our privilege to help others. This can be done in a variety of ways- big and small. If you look on the next page, I have listed things you and your family can do to help. We all need to play our part. Stigma around AIDS and HIV As well as helping vulnerable children, Starfish also helps those diagnosed or affected by AIDS and HIV. An example of this is the Nokuphila Community Services in the Eastern Cape, which supports vulnerable HIV/AIDS children from its surroundings, with 120 children aged 2 - 6 in the day-care centre, and over 300 children aged seven to eighteen year old in the drop-in centre. These places offer a sanctuary to children in times of need, and is vital to the community. In the 1980s, billions of people globally were terrified of HIV and AIDS because of a lack of understanding as well as misinformation. Starfish is actively trying to eradicate this stigma. The impact on the physical and mental wellbeing of people living with either two of these diseases is significant- experiences of direct discrimination are common and stigma has also been linked to poorer adherence to treatment and treatment outcomes. We are living in 2021, and still, all kinds of discrimination are present- we demand (and need) change.

By Rhea Cherrington