Matt’s Foundation – as Herbert Hoover said, Children are our most valuable natural resource.
Matt’s Foundation was established to assist in making a difference to under-privileged children’s lives in our community, by raising funds or goods through giving circles; donations; events and grants. Funding community-based organizations working with some of our most vulnerable children for their most basic needs like food, clothing, special education needs and medical care. These children have all been made
susceptible through circumstances beyond their control.
To date, Matt’s Foundation has distributed numerous items such as linen, crockery and cutlery received from the Rivera on Vaal Hotel & Country Club to various charities. Staff from MV Communications cycled the 94.7 Mountain Bike Challenge to raise funds and will be doing so again this year. Funds have been used for purchasing of stationery and Christmas Sponsors. MV Communications staff and family have also donated 30 outfits of children’s clothing to distribute to the various charities.
CHILDREN’S NEEDS
“It is a well established fact that conditions associated with poverty have the most powerful and pervasive impact on the broadest range of negative child outcomes.
Other influences aside, as poverty conditions increase, the risks to prenatal development, neo-natal and child health, child care, exposure to accidents and violence, poor educational preparation and attainment, all increase” according to the study done by the Human Science Research Council. They continue to emphasize how poverty during a child’s early years may be more damaging than when it occurs later in the child’s life, particularly where health and educational outcomes are concerned.
Many of the specific health, rehabilitation and development needs of disabled children are not likely to be met when in conditions of enduring poverty. In addition, the problems of emotionally vulnerable children are likely to be compounded. According to the Sedibeng Government Analysis 2010/2011, the unemployment rate for the Vaal Triangle is 42.1% and higher than the national average of 27.8%. The number of households that are living in poverty is as high as 36.8%.
The grant received from the government for a foster home is about R680 per child, per month and as little as R250 per child, per month for trauma centres and safe houses.On average, a child between the age of *6 and 18 costs the foster parents *+ R1,333.60 per month. This total amount includes food, basic clothing, transport to and from school, participation in extra-mural activities, school needs and medicine.
Even with the *R680 or R250 grant the foster parents receive from the government, they still need an additional *R653.60 per month in order to provide the basic necessities for these children. This clearly indicates how important donations of any kind are to foster homes, safe houses and charities in general.
*Figures are based on a case study done with Kosmos Foster Home (August 2010)
GIVING CIRCLE
Matt’s Foundation is built on the concept of creating a network of Giving Circles.
Wikipedia – “Giving Circles are a form of philanthropy consisting of groups of individuals who pool their funds and other resources to donate to their communities and seek to increase their awareness and engagement in the process of giving. Through this process, they seek to impact their own communities or larger areas - including having global impacts. The circles can serve as a form of shared, or collective, giving in the context of community economic development or other social ventures.
Members of giving circles donate their own money or time to a pooled fund, decide together where to give these away, and often have some sort of social or educational interaction associated with the giving. Many circles, in addition to donating their money, also contribute their time and skills to supporting local causes. Donations may range from spare change to thousands of rands each year to overall goal of the Giveback Initiative is to inspire greater and more effective charitable giving in the region.”
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