Newsletter | November 2006

Greetings!

In this month's newsletter we focus on Caring for our Animals - both for the sake of the domestic and working animals whose lives we share, and for the sake of our own humanity.

International research has shown a significant and complex set of links between violence towards animals and violence towards people. In a society like South Africa, where the abuse of and violence towards women and children are so widespread, we must take these links seriously, and work to build caring and respect at all levels of our society. No sentient being - whether child, woman, man or animal, deserves to suffer cruelty or neglect.
The theme of preventing violence is highlighted in South Africa and worldwide in November: the 5th of November is National Children's Day, the 16th is the International Day for Tolerance; the 20th is Universal Children's Day; and the 25th is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children - marked by 16 days of activism in our country. We encourage you to take a moment to discover more about the many organisations working for the protection, safety and security of our animals and our society.

At this time of year, as many of us turn our thoughts to preparing for Christmas, we invite you to put the real meaning of Christmas back into your celebrations by giving gifts on behalf of your loved ones to benefit development organisations across South Africa. Don't forget to visit the Make Christmas Matter website, which goes live on Monday 6 November, at www.makechristmasmatter.co.za

To make your experience of our Newsletters simpler, the content has been summarized below. Please click through to read more about a topic that is of interest to you.

Theme of the Month

Roots to empathy: caring for our animals
There is increasing research and clinical evidence from the United States and the United Kingdom which suggests that there are sometimes inter-relationships, commonly referred to as 'links', between the abuse of children, vulnerable adults and animals. A better understanding of these links can help to protect victims, both human and animal, and promote their welfare, and point towards new ways of building empathy.
[read more...]

Cause of the Month

Providing animal protection and rescue services
There are many excellent projects registered with GreaterGood South Africa working in the field of animal protection. These organisations run public education and awareness programmes, carry out vaccination and sterilisation of stray animals, offer affordable veterinary services to pet owners in poor communities, provide temporary shelter for stray and distressed animals, and run programmes to find new homes for these animals.
[read more...]

Good Lifestyle Choices

Gifts that help our "furry friends"!
Buy an attractive Cat Village calendar for 2007 to support the organisation's work with homeless, neglected and abused cats in Gauteng, or Pets Welcome SA - a guide to pet-friendly holiday accommodation.
[read more...]

Experience the Gift

Thank you so much
Words are not enough to express our enormous gratitude to you and all those who made our second annual Do It Day on Friday 20 October the phenomenal success that it was! Find out the incredible total value of time, skills and materials contributed on the day, and read about some of the days as well as a Teachers Dream come true.
[read more...]

What are you good for?

Just do it...
Find out about the volunteer opportunities and wishlists of our featured organisations or make a Teachers Dream come true by taking Foundation Phase learners from the Mary Kihn School for the Hearing Impaired in the Western Cape to visit Monkey Town and the Two Oceans Aquarium.
[read more...]

Register with GGSA

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Theme of the Month

Roots to empathy: caring for our animals

There is increasing research and clinical evidence from the United States and the United Kingdom which suggests that there are sometimes inter-relationships, commonly referred to as 'links', between the abuse of children, vulnerable adults and animals.
A better understanding of these links can help to protect victims, both human and animal, and promote their welfare.
International research has shown that children who are cruel to animals often have a background themselves of experiencing or witnessing abuse.
To break the cycle of violence that may drive these children later to be violent towards other people, programmes that build empathy in children have a crucial role to play. One of the most powerful ways of building empathy is to teach children to care for animals.
The UK National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children reveals groundbreaking research about the link between child abuse, animal abuse and domestic violence.
read more...

This Month's Feature Articles:

  • The National Council of SPCAs in South Africa believes that education is the key to preventing cruelty, and it is their policy to educate wherever possible in preference to prosecuting people for cruelty to animals.
    read more...
  • The SPCA provides practical advice on planning for how your pets will be cared for over the holiday season, to ensure that they are not neglected or abandoned.
    read more...
  • Just like being a parent, there is skill involved in being a successful pet owner. There's more to it than just going to the pet shop and getting a puppy or a kitten. Here are ten practical tips to make sure your pet is well cared for read more...

Our Causes of the Month
  • The Cart Horse Protection Association works in the Greater Cape Town area to protect working cart horses from abuse by developing a culture of responsibility, accountability and ownership amongst cart horse owners. read more...
  • The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), founded in 1956 as the Federation of SPCAs, is the umbrella body for 97 Societies situated throughout South Africa. read more...
  • Daktari Wildlife Orphanage for injured wild animals serves as a centre for conservation education in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. read more...
  • The Emma Animal Rescue Society (TEARS) is a pro-life organisation whose core aim is to rescue, rehabilitate and re-home abandoned and abused domestic dogs and cats, as well as carrying out education and providing affordable veterinary services to poor communities. read more...
  • The Kirkwood SPCA are based on a farm outside the town of Kirkwood in the Eastern Cape. The society aims to promote the welfare and protection of animals, through education of the people. read more...
  • Cat Village South Africa provides shelter, food and medical support to homeless, neglected and abused cats within the Gauteng area. read more...

Good Lifestyle Choices

Top gift choices

Cat Village Calendar 2007 : R135.00

Buy this 2007 calendar with beautiful pictures of our feline friends, and you will be supporting the work of the Cat Village, providing shelter, food and medical support to homeless, neglected and abused cats in the Gauteng area. read more...

Pet Friendly Directory : R98.00

The South African Pet Friendly Directory is the definitive guide to holiday accommodation that welcomes you and your pet. It includes a travel guide, information on pets’ health, first aid and more. read more...

Experience The Gift

Thank you, this is the fantastic difference you've made!

Thank you so much to the 984 volunteers across our nation who contributed their time and skills on Do It Day, Friday 20 October - more than double last year's number! A big thank you goes to enablers The Fidentia Group and sponsors Wesbank, who made the campaign possible, as well as to 702 Talk Radio, 567 Cape Talk and Cape Argus, who gave us media coverage.

Thanks also to those who sponsored an unemployed person through the Men on The Side of the Road Project for the day, and those companies who gave their employees time off to work on a Do It Day project, including Bowman Gilfillan attorneys, The Design Company, Freedom Fruit, First Rand, First National Bank, Rand Merchant Bank, Go 2 Africa, The Handyman, Infocy, Nedbank, Octagen, RCS, Rohlig Grindrod and SANS Fibres; and last but not least, Butlers Pizza, who delivered pizzas to volunteers on several projects!

We are immensely proud to report that on the day, a total of 984 volunteers worked on 80 projects in six provinces, contributing 5 928 hours of "sweat" and 1 212 hours of skill, with donated materials to the value of R177 051, bringing the total value of the day to a whopping R536 691.34!

This figure would swell further, were we to include the value of the spin-offs of the campaign, for example, through volunteers who have seen the power of their contribution and are continuing their involvement with an organisation.

If you're interested in volunteering on a regular basis, check the GreaterGood Community Notice Board on our website, and keep looking at it, since new requests for volunteers are continuously posted by organisations. read more...
  • The Daktari Wildlife Orphanage constructed most, but not all of dormitory on Do It Day - a fascinating account of the challenges of completing a construction project in a deep rural area, as well as their amazing achievements! read more...
  • The Carel du Toit Trust centre for hearing impaired children involved 25 Gauteng volunteers in painting, repairing and greening the children’s playground. read more...
  • Children of the Dawn organised a fun day for 300 orphaned and vulnerable children from the Mathabatha area in Limpopo. Volunteers from first National Bank helped to run the day and the kids had a ball! read more...
Thank you also to all those individuals who helped make a Teacher's Dream come true for 56 Grade 10 learners and their dedicated teacher from T.E.M. Mrwetyana Secondary School in the Eastern Cape, who were able to learn from a visit to the Shamwari Game Reserve. read more...

Latest www.GreaterGoodSA.co.za Statistics

  • 2,417,147 Page Hits
  • 1,645,535 Unique New Visitors
  • R5,796,708 in Donor Funds for 175 organisations
  • More than 105,000 surplus /second hand items redistributed
  • More than 11,460 person hours volunteered

What are you good for?
  • The Cart Horse Protection Association in Cape Town is looking for donations of "horsey stuff", building and office supplies, computer and electronic equipment, as well as skills including horse box maintenance and marketing. read more...
  • The National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) needs materials for donkey carts, cat and dog food, a catching pole, cleaning materials, dip and dewormer, harnesses, hay or lucerne, and other items. read more...
  • Daktari Wildlife Orphanage in Limpopo have a wide range of needs, including building materials for new accommodation, tyres for a vehicle, solar lighting for pathways and motion-detector spotlights. read more...
  • The Emma Animal Rescue Society (TEARS) in the Cape is looking for donations of office equipment, pet accessories, veterinary equipment and materials to upgrade their kennels. read more...
  • The Kirkwood SPCA who serve 17 townships in the Eastern Cape are looking for donations of dry or tinned cat and dog food. read more...

Teachers Dream looking for a Dreammaker
You can help make a Dream come true for a teacher at the Mary Kihn School for the Hearing Impaired in the Western Cape, who wants to take all the Grade R,1, 2 and 3 learners on a visit to Monkey Town and the Two Oceans Aquarium to learn about animals and conserving the environment.
read more...

Reminder of upcoming events

2006 Make Christmas Matter

The Make Christmas Matter campaign is being launched on Monday, November 6th. Visit the website www.makechristmasmatter.co.za from that date onwards, to find out about how you can make the festive season meaningful this year by getting involved in supporting our five beneficiaries working in the following sectors:
  • Promoting Animal Protection: Cart Horse Protection Association, Western Cape
  • Improving Education: Centre for Early Childhood Development, Western Cape
  • Building Adult Capacity: Gadra Advice and Community Work, Eastern Cape
  • Boosting Food Security: Food and Trees for Africa, North West
  • Improving Basic Healthcare: Malamulele Onwards, Limpopo
  • Conserving our Environment: Community Environmental Education Programme, Gauteng
If you would like to know more about the campaign or anything else in this newsletter, feel free to phone us at one of the GreaterGood South Africa offices: Johannesburg (011) 446-9303 or Cape Town (021) 794 0580.
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