A fundraising team from the Non-Profit Organisation Doctors Without Borders will visit Grahamstown from 30 June to 7 July.
A fundraising team from the Non-Profit Organisation Doctors Without Borders will visit Grahamstown from 30 June to 7 July.
The group, whose month-long fundraising initiative has already taken them to various cities around the Eastern Cape including Port Alfred and East London, hope to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders initiatives.
“It is more about raising awareness of Doctors Without Borders’ work throughout the world as well as fundraise for much needed medical care,” said National Face-to-face Project Coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, Carli Snyman.
By engaging face-to-face with the community, the group aims to inform Grahamstown residents about the realities of life in refugee camps and explain how citizen support from across the globe can help save lives.
A team visited Grahamstown last year. “It was actually one of our best weeks ever and we hope we will get the same response this time around,” said Snyman.
The organisation has fundraising groups based around South Africa. “This visit falls under our Travel Team campaign, where a team consisting of the best fundraisers visits smaller towns all over the country,” said Snyman. “(Members) interact with shoppers, talk to them and encourage them to sign up with Doctors Without Borders to be regular or monthly donors.” she said.
With three successful tours already carried out this year, Snyman shared that the group hopes to have three more, reaching the Northwest, Free State and Kwa Zulu Natal.
Doctors Without Borders is an international, medical humanitarian organisation who provide aid to people in need. Recipients of aid are those affected by armed conflict, epidemics and natural and man-made disasters and they are helped regardless of race, gender, religious beliefs or political affiliation.
According to a press release published on 19 May of this year, “In 2013 (Doctors Without Borders) treated over nine million patients around the world in over 60 countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique and Malawi.”
On 12 July, Doctors Without Borders’ South Africa President, Garrett Barnwell, will present a talk on how the organisation responds to the refugee crises in Africa and beyond, their work in South Africa as well as how South Africans are showing solidarity with people displaced by conflict and natural disasters.
The discussion will be held in the Eden Grove Blue Lecture Theatre at Rhodes University, starting at 2pm.
The fundraising group will be stationed outside Checkers Shopping Centre on 1 and 2 July and will work their way around the National Arts Festival from 3 – 7 July from 9am to 6pm daily.
