Footprints 4 Sam Super Sam Hero Vehicle Project

I am writing this report with somewhat of a heavy heart. On Friday last week one of our amazing drivers was held up at gun point while transporting one of our super-hero families. When he phoned to tell me - my heart broke. Increasingly in Cape Town, South Africa, care vehicles such as ours, including ambulances are being held up and this trend is really worrying for NGOs like ours that work to bring hope and dignity to the poorest of the poor - especially in paediatrics. Our beneficiaries are young and already vulnerable due to their chronic illnesses or life limiting conditions and their parents and /or caregivers are already exhausted from the strain of looking after their children, together with managing their environment which is increasingly burdened by poverty and crime.

These families are amazing and bring new meaning to the word resilience.  Resilience is a word that I often think is overused across the world, since to be resilient is not about “bouncing” back or “bouncing forward” – human beings are not rubber bands – true resilience is about digging deep in the moment despite your circumstances and still holding your ground when overwhelmed by life and the myriad of unfair challenges thrown your way.  For me these families inspire me daily and your donations are what keep our wheels turning and what keeps their heads above water.  The transport Footprints 4 Sam provides together with our food and toiletry buckets bring smiles to so many families and we would hate for crime to ever stop these critical services that provide much needed relief and ensure that these incredible families know that they are not alone and that someone cares.

The good news is that our driver is physically well, emotionally he will need support, as will the family that were in the vehicle at the time of the attempted hijacking.   We are so very proud of our incredible driver.  He kept his head and ensured that he was able to get the vehicle and all his passengers as well as himself safely to the nearby police station.  Our smash and grab on the windows held strong which we are also so grateful for.  We are now ensuring that extra precautions are put in place, we have a long list sadly of “no go” areas and paediatric patients and their caregivers must now sadly make their way to a nearby police station in these areas to safely meet our vehicles.  The mind just boggles!

Thank you for hearing my heart in this report and thank you that because of you and despite the crime and other barriers to care we are able to transport our young beneficiaries and their families as safely as it is in our power to do so.  Both our driver and the family concerned will be receiving counselling.

As I sign off this report, 9615 passengers have received our services across Sam’s two minibuses.  The true impact is beyond measure!

Always know you have made an enormous difference.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Warmest wishes,

Melissa