#KnowYourNPO #Domino

If you’ve ever wondered what the Domino Foundation actually does… here’s your chance to #KnowYourNPO! This quarter we’re unpacking what the Domino Foundation does on a larger scale.

#1: We are a group of like-minded individuals that believe in the power of a changed life. We have a range of community outreach programmes that focus on the individual, to empower, uplift and transform their lives so they too can impact the nation and others around them. We currently impact the lives of just over 4000 individuals every single day, ranging from 0 to 18 years of age.

#2: We seek to assist and empower the neediest in communities to pave the way for a brighter tomorrow. Our dream is to equip individuals physically, emotionally, socially, cognitively and spiritually to enable purpose-filled lives.

#3: We manage focused interventions and initiatives operating into the spaces of education, nutrition, injustice, child support and business development. So depending on your company’s CSR policy and specific area of impact, we have a diverse offering across multiple geographic locations to suit your needs with the ultimate goal being the same: to empower, uplift and transform our communities.

#4: We believe that for effective social change to take place within communities, we need to work effectively in three key areas. Namely social charity, social justice and social entrepreneurship to holistically transform communities.

#5: Over the years we have witnessed changed lives, changing other lives and we’ve termed this #TheDominoEffect. As we have impacted, uplifted and transformed an individual’s life, they have gone and transformed their immediate family’s lives, and they have gone on to impact and transform their community’s lives and so a beautiful ripple effect, or #DominoEffect of changed lives takes shape. We believe that you change a community, by changing an individual!

#6: We rely on support from a host of like-minded businesses, individuals, partner organisations, schools, churches, international supporters & activists and sporting enthusiasts. So if you know of any, start your own #DominoEffect and share the love!

#7: We couldn’t do what we do without an AMAZING team. These people LOVE doing what they do and what nothing more than to uplift, encourage, support and transform people’s lives. Dedicated, inspired, driven and fun, our teams are truly the best around!

#8: Ways to support ALL

There are SO many ways for EVERYONE to get involved. Whether you’re in school, a group of interested staff members, corporate’s looking to satisfy your #BEE scorecard or simply an individual with a heart for others, there is space for YOU to join the #DominoEffect.

#9: Our support process is super simple. SUPPORT > RECEIVE DOCUMENTATION > FEEL GOOD. Repeat!

There’s so many ways to support Domino!

Did you know that you can support the Domino Foundation through a number of loyalty programmes?

Paint Experts Rewards Programme Paint Expert has a loyalty card whereby a certain percentage of your sale is discounted and redirected into a charity of your choice. The Domino Foundation is one of the charities and receives a voucher to use at Paint Expert during the year.

Litres for Education Litres For Education is an innovative initiative that offers the everyday South African an opportunity to support their local school, charity or community project on the amount of fuel purchased monthly. By supporting your local donor LFE service station you will be supporting your chosen beneficiary every time you fill up. Fill in the online form to become a LFE member and choose the Domino Foundation as a beneficiary. Every time you fill up a the preferred service station (map online) 10c per litre of your fuel purchase goes to the Domino Foundation.

MySchool The MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet fundraising programme is one of South Africa’s biggest community programmes and allows cardholders to make a difference to a worthy cause without it costing you a cent! The Domino Foundation is on the loyalty programme which means every time you swipe your care at a number of retailers, a percentage of your sale comes to us! You can also check out our donte page that has a range of easy and safe options to donate to the Domino Foundation including once-off-transfers, a debit order system and a sms line.

The Domino Christmas Story

This Christmas we wanted to spread the festive joy by placing a toy in the hand of as many underprivileged children as possible in the Amaoti community. On the 28th of November we organised an event to gather presents together so that we could make this Christmas a special one for the hundreds of kids who are in a creche on our ECD programme.

The day was an incredible, all-round success with businesses such as Megapile, Donald Insurance Brokers, Nexia International, Platinum Consulting and Vopac coming in to wrap hundreds of presents.

JAM also made a donation that allowed every child to receive a pair of shoes and a facecloth with their toy. An abundance of toys also allowed us to distribute excess to other charities.

1442 presents were individually wrapped and sent out to 1442 smiling faces in Amaoti. Thank you to every person who either donated or wrapped these gifts , your contribution has truly made a difference in the lives of so many.

The Wrapping & Packing:

 

 

The Distribution:

 

The Domino Christmas Story

This Christmas, join in The Domino Christmas Story
and spread the festive joy!

Help package Christmas ‘loveboxes’ for vulnerable children in the Amaoti township.

We work with 32 crèches on our ECD programme and benefit over 1000 children on a daily basis.
We are wanting to place a Christmas present
into the hands of each of these children on
Christmas day to share the love and make a difference
in the lives of these little ones.

There are 3 easy steps to contribute to this awesome drive:

  2 options:

1. Grab your friends & Colleagues, Download Santa’s Christmas Parcel List (valued at R150ea, below!) and get shopping for all the items for your chosen age group ‘Lovebox’!

2. Donate R150 to The Domino Foundation for us to put together‘ Loveboxes’ for the children!

 

(Booking of time slots essential!)Bring your gifts, wrapping paper, sellotape and Christmas cards to 125 Adelaide Tambo Drive, Durban North On Thursday 27 November or Friday 28 November And join in the packing festivities with us!

 

 

Bring your Christmas Parcels and place them under the Domino Christmas tree at 125 Adelaide Tambo Drive on Thursday 27 Nov & Friday 28 November and join us for the “Giving light to hope Ceremony” at 19h00 on Friday. We will deliver Christmas parcels during the 1st week of December 2014 before crèches close for the holidays.

 

 

Here are the Santa Christmas Parcel Wishlists:

 

To read more about this awesome day visit our website: www.domino.org.za/dominochristmas.htm

 

General Overview 10/14

October has been a truly amazing month! We’ve seen some beautiful miracles at our babies home, had an amazing Pamper Day for school girls in Amaoti and even summit-ted a mountain in Switzerland!

This month a new-born baby was placed on the doorstep of our local babies home: Fairhavens. The baby was abandoned at midnight and left in a blanket at our gate where her crying was heard by staff members who went quickly to help. The baby girl, estimated to be a week old, was wrapped in a blanket, had a cloth nappy and a piece of string tied around its umbilical cord. The baby was immediately taken to the hospital for a check up and she was declared well and healthy! Read all about this beautiful story here…

 

 

On the 22^nd of October 110 girls from Amaoti 3 School travelled to COGS Durban North for a day filled with informative talks, amazing food and awesome pampering! The 13-16 year old age group for girls is a time of adolescence, growing up and change so we see it as important to give these girls the tools and knowledge they need to be inspired and encouraged in a positive, safe and relaxing way. The girls were treated to 4 inspirational talks by various speakers, all relating to empowering women to take pride in themselves and live a happy life. Hear more about this awesome day by clicking here.

 

Shaun Tait, The Domino Foundation’s marketing and Communication Extraordinaire embarked on a journey this month to join the ‘West2East’ crew as they tackle the final leg of their mission – walking across Switzerland to raise funds for our Abandoned Babies’ Home: Fairhavens. Former South Africans, Dana Kleu (15) and her dad, Patrick started their expedition at the beginning of the year and have raised a remarkable 3,506 CHF (Swiss Francs) since. The journey for her has not only encouraged her to cross physical obstacles in her life, but emotional ones at that too – since the beginning of her ‘walking’ adventure she has become more confident within herself and been driven to make a change and enforce the ‘Domino Effect’ WORLDWIDE! Find out about this crazy adventure here!

 

This Christmas, join in The Domino Christmas Story and spread the festive joy! Help package Christmas ‘loveboxes’ for vulnerable children in the Amaoti township. We work with 32 crèches on our ECD programme and benefit over 1000 children on a daily basis.We are wanting to place a Christmas present into the hands of each of these children on Christmas day to share the love and make a difference in the lives of these little ones.

Read more about this awesome drive here.

 

 

 

 

Read more from the October 14 Domino Effects Newsletter here:

Babies Home Effect

Life Skills Effect

Literacy Effect

ECD Effect

Feeding Effect

Domino – Off To The Races!

On the 12th of September The Domino Foundation had the privilege of being one of the beneficiaries for a race of great proportions at one of Greyville Racecourse’s Friday night horse racing meets.

Mickey Wilkins (CEO of The Domino Foundation) attended this evening where 220 people gathered to bet and raise funds for the community. The ‘Domino Foundation Maiden Plate’ was the first race on the cards, thereafter an auction took place where memorabilia was sold to also raise funds for the various beneficiaries.

We then had the opportunity to share briefly with the audience about what we stand for, where our hearts are focused, the great ‘DOMINO EFFECT.’ People were encouraged and our message was received well. We decided that for this event, we’d create a unique product that would appeal to this specific audience and leave them with more than just the memory of the night, but with a token that represents us.

The Domino Effect Bracelet has different charms on it that signifies our various projects. One for feeding and one for our Babies Home. The bracelets were a hit on the evening and we were able to raise some incredible funds!

Overall, the night was an amazing success for all, full of charity, entertainment and fun!

 

 

 

Read more from the September Domino Effects Newsletter here:

General Overview

Babies Home Effect

Literacy Effect

Life Skills Effect

ECD Effect

Feeding Effect

Feeding Effect 9/14

The vision of our Feeding Programme is to feed the hungry in their most desperate time of need. As the number of volunteers and donors grow, we move closer to realising our dream of communities where no child is too hungry to concentrate and learn.

Sandwich Kitchen:

We love the variety of volunteers who give up their time weekly to lovingly make sandwiches for children who may not get any other meals that day. They congregate from all corners of the world and each has an incredible story to tell. This month we had our youngest volunteer yet! At only 11, this young man decided to come and help his mother make some egg mayo sarmies during her shift at the kitchen. We love it that people of all ages can come together for an invaluable purpose such as this!

Every month 17280 sandwiches go out to the neediest and impoverished in our nearby communities. That’s an amazing 4320 people that are given much needed sustenance and nutrition weekly. For the majority of these people, this one sandwich is the only meal that they may get a day so it is vital that these sarmies are jampacked with goodness to provide sustainable energy to get them through. We have 3 different sandwiches so over the next few months we will be featuring the different sandwiches and their nutritional properties:

#3 THE POLONY SARMIE:

Our last sandwich is one that is often speculated over…is polony good or bad?

Some may argue that polony is unhealthy, fattening and unappetising. But everything needs to be put in context – the kids that are a part of our feeding programme aren’t receiving the nutrition they should be every day. They’re not getting early enough protein or carbohydrates to sustain them and this leads to a lack of focus in the classroom. So polony sandwiches provide a solution – not only are they high in energy, but also high in fats which are needed in a child’s daily nutritional intake. Incredibly filling, these sarmies will also fight the tummy grumbles and keep the kids fuller, for longer.

Soup Kitchen:

Our soup that we hand out to thousands of grateful hands every day is also filled with vegetables and nutrients that benefit the hungry tummies they fill. Every month, we will be featuring one of these veggies and their nutritional benefits.

#2 THE CARDINAL CARROT:

These bright orange veggies do more than just purifying your vision. They are full of Vitamin A (providing more than 200% of your daily requirement in just one carrot) which reduces the risk of cancer (it is an antioxidant) and lowers cholesterol.  Carrots are also a good source of Vitamin B6 which plays a key role in synthesizing antibodies that are needed to fight various diseases. This is one of the most beneficial characteristics of carrots as the kids that receive this soup are exposed to so many germs daily.

Vegetable Tunnel Updates:

This month has been awesome for our vegetable tunnels! Our COO, Lance Turner has been busy selling bunches of produce to various companies and staff members, the response has been brilliant! Huge beetroots, mint, crates of spinach, aubergines and spring onions have helped us raise some awesome funds for Domino.

 

Some of the HUGE produce from our tunnels – ready to be sold!

 

Read more from the September Domino Effects Newsletter here:

General Overview

Babies Home Effect

Literacy Effect

Life Skills Effect

ECD Effect

 

Hunger and Malnutrition.

Every person feels hungry at some time or other – it’s our bodies’ natural way of letting us know that we need something to eat. There is a very easy way to aid one’s hunger – just eat some food.

But how accessible is food to the individual?

Linked closely to this is MALNUTRITION. People with malnutrition lack the nutrients necessary for their bodies to grow and stay healthy. Someone can be malnourished for a long or short period of time, and the condition may be mild or severe. Malnutrition relates to WHAT you eat and not HOW MUCH you eat – a person may never be hungry but can be seriously malnourished because they are not feeding their body with the vital nutrients that they need every day.

• Hunger kills MORE people a year than Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria combined.
• According to the UN World Food Programme, 925 million people in the world don’t have enough to eat. That’s more than the entire population of the United States, Canada, and the European Union.
• In South Africa, 12 million people will go to bed hungry every night.
• The scariest of all these statistics, is that it hits home hard – 87% of Kwa-Zulu Natal is in a state of hunger and ultimately, malnourishment.

How does The Domino Foundation combat these statistics?

•  Every day, we feed approximately 1500 children porridge and soup daily from our community-based Soup Kitchen.
• We also make 4320 sandwiches weekly from our Sandwich Kitchen in Durban North.
• It is a priority to us to make sure that we not only combat hunger but also malnutrition – all of the foods we send out are packed with nutrients and vitamins to aid in every impacted lives’ development.

That’s a remarkable 11800 tummies that are being fed WEEKLY wholesome food HIGH in nutrition.

 

• Whether the problem is malnutrition or hunger, the solution to the problem is simple: FOOD. One of our most recent ventures are our Brookdale Vegetable Tunnels which aim to not only improve food security but also educate the community on how to successfully grow their own vegetables and produce for their families.

Our vision is to feed the hungry in their most desperate time of need. As the number of volunteers and donors grow, we move closer to realising our dream of communities where no child is too hungry to concentrate and learn.We have taken up the challenge to take a stand against both hunger AND malnutrition and you can too! There are many ways to get involved, be it making sandwiches at our kitchen or just donating. 

Visit www.domino.org.za to stay informed and make a change.

 

 

We want to hear from YOU!

Read more from the September Domino Effects Newsletter here:

General Overview

Babies Home Effect

Literacy Effect

Life Skills Effect

ECD Effect

Feeding Effect

International Literacy Day 8/9/14

Our words are powerful. The potency of a written word can arm a person with the wisdom and ability to make a difference.. A literate person is empowered, strengthened and has a more hopeful future. But with approximately 860 million illiterate adults worldwide, the time is now – more than ever – to fight for every human’s right to be educated.
Today, the 8th of September is International Literacy Day – a day celebrated annually to highlight the importance of literacy in individuals, communities and societies

SO WHAT DO THE STATS SAY?:

• Globally, 1 in 5 people are the world are illiterate.
                              ↓
• Of these people, 2/3rds are females.
                              ↓
• Africa, as a whole continent, has less than a 60% literacy rate.
                              ↓
• 7.1% of South Africans are illiterate

                              BUT

Is this statistic an accurate representation of our country’s literacy rate?

Statistics at the end of 2013, displayed that in total, 92.9% of of South Africans can read and write. However, the way that literacy has been defined and measured in South Africa seems to be problematic. Just because a child is receiving an education, it does not mean that this is a GOOD education.
There is an evident issue that in an ever-evolving technological world, we tend to forget how vital it is to lay the appropriate foundations of literacy to allow ALL children the tools they need to be independent and empowered.

DOMINO IS ON THE FORE-FRONT OF CHANGE:

At the Domino Foundation we recognise how profound ONE literate individual is. We rest strongly on the fact that literacy opens up the doors to a future that is immeasurably brighter.

We make sure that well educated teachers and tutors are raised up to bring about a change and to impart a GOOD education on these learners.

Every day, we have the privilege of impacting close to one thousand through our Literacy Project that works into 3 schools in the Amaoti Township. That’s 998 minds that are being equipped to change our nation and make the right choices. 998 children that will grow up to be literate adults who will play a part in a Domino Effect that will affect an entire community.

To help, SMS the word DOMINO to 48716 to donate R10 to our Literacy Programme!

 

Want to see our Literacy programme in action here:

 

Read more from the September Domino Effects Newsletter here:

General Overview

Babies Home Effect

Literacy Effect

Life Skills Effect

ECD Effect

Feeding Effect

Take Action. Inspire Change. Serve your local comminty.

This year The Domino Foundation is needing YOUR help as we celebrate International Mandela Day on Friday 18 July 2014.

Join us at 125 and 127 Adelaide Tambo (formerly Kensington Drive) in Durban North to spend your 67 minutes Taking action, Inspiring change & serving your local community. We are setting up a number of ACTION STATIONS on our 2 adjacent properties. You have the option to participate in a number of activities, so pick an ACTION STATION, bring your items, and put everything together on the day!

We will also have a 6m x 7m ‘DONATION STATION’ where you can drop off spare clothes, blankets, shoes, project items and groceries over and above your chosen activity. So clean out your cupboards, get your colleagues to do the same and bring along some extra donations on the day!

Final details:
– Venue: 125 – 127 Adelaide Tambo (Kensington Drive)
– Parking: Limited roadside parking, we encourage car-pooling
– Refreshments: We will have a self-service tea garden on site

Action Station 1: SARMIE STACKS.
Spend your #67minutes at The Sarmie Stack Station and make peanut butter sandwiches for the hungry. Challenge your colleagues and friends to make 100, 200 or even 300 sandwiches! Bring along the ingredients below, grab your friends and lets take action, inspire change and serve our local community. More details and sign-up forms here: http://ow.ly/yQPHl

Action Station 2: HOLIDAY HAMPERS.
At our HOLIDAY HAMPERS Station, volunteers will bring along items from the list below; sort, package & wrap their hampers; and have the opportunity to write an encouragement card for families in need! These hampers will be distributed to families that are struggling in our community, which have been identified through local schools and our counselling centre. Each parcel is valued at R500; and consists of various groceries and toiletry items. So grab your mates, bring some goodies and let’s help feed our community.
All details and sign-up forms are available here: http://ow.ly/yQPHl
• Please note: If you select this Action Station, please ensure you have purchased the necessary items beforehand to sort, package and wrap your own hamper on the day.

Action Station 3: JERSEYS IN JULY.
Our JERSEYS IN JULY station will help provide relief to community members during this freezing winter. Drop off Jerseys, blankets, tracksuits and other warm clothing so we can create winter parcels for Amaoti. All details and sign-up forms are available here: http://ow.ly/yQPHl

ACTION STATION 4: Project Paella.
A mix and match donation basket for all 5 Domino projects. Here you can collect 1 or more essential items per programme and put together your own personalised parcels. Bring items from the list below and help us continue our work as we change lives and change communities.

RSVP by 16 July to Sandy at the office 031-563 9605 or via email: volunteer@domino.org.za to book a time slot and Take action. Inspire Change. And help make EVERYDAY a Mandela Day!

More details and information is available at www.domino.org.za/mandeladay

#Mandeladay #time2serve