Three years ago, Anouk had the opportunity to visit a handful of Uthando‘s community projects in a few of the townships surrounding Cape Town. Uthando (means love in Xhosa), and is a unique non-profit organization motivated by love, compassion and respect for our common humanity. Uthando engages in solutions to meet the economic and social challenges of the under-served communities in South Africa.   During her day with Uthando,  Anouk visited:

• A new creche with a “libromat” for parents to read to their kids while getting laundry done.
• An amazing choir that serenaded guests at a center where women were making beaded magic happen.
• A tour of urban food gardens was followed by a visit to a social center for the elders in the community, where Anouk was totally overwhelmed with hugs from those seniors, not at all shy about showing their love and appreciation.

It was an impactful day to say the very least, and became the impetus for African Portfolio’s decision to donate money to Uthando on behalf of every client traveling to southern Africa from then on. We’ve also topped up the “Uthando pot” for every one of our past clients  celebrating a birthday.  And we continue to recommend that clients participate in a Uthando tour when visiting Cape Town. The tours are designed in such a way as to educate, inform and inspire, while also respecting the dignity and privacy of the people concerned.

Fast forward to August of 2020, and here we all are in less fortunate circumstances. The need for help has increased, just as money that would normally be flowing to Uthando’s projects, has decreased. We have been following the daily updates from James Fernie (founder) as his team does their best to feed the little ones; help families recover from devastating fires and floods; support struggling musicians and artists who rely on tourism for jobs; collect masks, clothes and shoes for the seniors. It’s been a particularly rough and challenging cold winter for the majority of poor South Africans.

Please help us raise much needed funds …

Click Here to Help Raise Funds for Uthando

Our goal is to reach $5,000 by September 24th when South Africa celebrates Heritage Day; let’s give everyone something to braai about! Anyone who donates $250 or more will receive a voucher from us, to visit and tour some of Uthando’s projects in Cape Town. The voucher can be passed on to friends and family who may have Cape Town in their future travel plans.

“It’s about giving with love. Creating hope and faith. Hope for a better future, faith in humanity.” –  JAMES FERNIE Director, Uthando South Africa