Shelter Children Get Loving Gifts After Sending Letters to South African Tourism Minister

Children at a Centre in Pretoria, many from abusive families, experienced a wonderful late Christmas this week when South African Tourism Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane presented them with school uniforms and toys, each parcel gift-wrapped with their name on it.

The Minister’s generous gifts – which were largely donated by residents and businesses in the area – came as a result of letters the children had written to her over the festive season. They sent over 50 letters!

This week the Minister went to the Youth for Survival Developmental Centre to personally deliver the gifts and witness the huge smiles from the little children (the older ones were at school).

Minister Kubayi-Ngubane said she was touched by the letters, and immediately contacted various people and businesses to assist with donating school uniforms, shoes and toys for the children at the shelter.

“These children must be shown love, they must be told ‘I Love You’. We hope that these little things will encourage you,” the Minister said.

Director and Founder of the centre, Moshy Mathe told SAnews: “I am happy that the Minister listened to the children and felt there was a need to act. These are innocent souls, they need to be shown love.”

Each child’s letter indicated their age and size, so the gifts came with their names attached to the parcels.

The Youth for Survival centre, a non-governmental organisation, takes care of more than 40 children, mostly of school-going age. Its strategic programmes and awareness campaigns are crucial to fighting gender-based violence and other crimes.

Source: SANews.gov.za