South Africans helping South Africans out

 Do you remember the television commercial stating that South Africa is alive with possibility? This inspirational clip featured South Africans who have overcome adversity and excelled in different fields of sport and industry.

The past week I had time to reflect on how companies and individuals are assisting other South Africans to better their lives. On television there was an interview with the 2 endurance athletes who have run across the Great Wall of China, raising money for Operation Smile. Operation Smile is a non-profit volunteer medical organisation that provides free reconstructive surgery to children and young adults suffering from facial deformities such as cleft lips and palates.

Outsurance, one of the corporate sponsors who enabled me to develop the Arrive Alive road safety website, informed me that they will assist in raising further funds through a “Gun Run” in Cape Town. These funds will be used to enable medical personnel to change the lives of more children with cleft palates.

I thought of the “Possibilities in South Africa” and how many of these we actually manage to convert to life changing results. Nobel Prize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu recently stated at a road safety conference in Cape Town that God did not create a perfect world as he wanted us all to be part of making it perfect. Are we doing our utmost to be part of this process?

Many corporates in South Africa acknowledge the importance of social responsibility and they budget for spending on worthy causes. Should it however only be the responsibility of big companies to improve the lives of those in need, and can we sit back as tax payers and expect government to address all the needs of our people?

A few years ago there was a movie named “Pay it forward”. This movie had the powerful message that much can be achieved if each person tries to touch the life of just one other person. I will never forget this message and believe that we all need to include this message in our lives.

I would like to imagine a South Africa where each person is involved with at least one worthy cause –whether that is road safety; old people, orphans, disabled people, cancer, tuberculosis, operation hunger or any other worthy cause.

Francis Hesselbein once said: “The secret of life is doing good work, being with good people, and learning to give and receive love”.

May South Africans continue to amaze the world by assisting one another across boundaries of language, race, age or religion! Then we can indeed be proudly South African, fulfill our potential and live a life of meaning by not just living for ourselves..