25-05-2025
NPO cares for Olievenhoutbosch by providing food
Rivoni Foundation was established in 2023 by Zimasa Zama Mretyana alongside her two friends, Doris Mamogobo and Sidwell Jaji.
The NPO offers programmes including a soup kitchen, clothing drive, and youth and child development.
Mretyana said the inspiration behind the organisation was born from a dream to fight hunger in the community.
She said the name Rivoni originates from the Tsonga language, meaning light.
Seeing people scraping for food in dumpsites became very unpleasant for her to watch, and she then saw this as a cry for help.
'In 2023, I woke up with this burning idea of restoring hope and dignity in my community, so I thought of having a soup kitchen where people can come together for meals.
'I started this from my home, and later thought of growing it. I then presented this idea to my two mentioned friends, and they were very fond of the idea.'
With the support of her co-founders, they began collecting donations and gained the trust and support of community members.
'A local pastor offered us his church to work from since the issue of finding space was proving to be difficult,' said Mretyana.
She said they started asking for donations from community members, and to their surprise, people loved the idea.
'We have a team of community members who have dedicated their time to assist us, and we also have school leavers who have come on board to assist us, especially with the kids.'
Despite facing many challenges, including limited funding and a permanent centre, Rivoni has thrived with the help of volunteers and occasional support from donors.
'We're still facing challenges, but despite all of that, we still strive to keep this dream alive. Our recent sponsor was Shoprite, and we were very proud of achieving that because it keeps the dream alive,' Mretyana explained.
She said they have managed to overcome some of the challenges as a means of relief by starting a small vegetable garden to produce some of their own greens.
Mretyana said the organisation has grown beyond serving meals to distributing clothing and school uniforms to kids from disadvantaged families.
She emphasised the NPO's pursuit of a broader mission, as they recently launched a kids' programme, calling participants in the games 'the Rivonians'.
'We want to grow from all of this to having our own place to run a fully functional centre where we will not only serve food but have a place for our elderly.
'People and those living with disabilities to come and partake in occupational therapeutic programmes such as game days, painting days and things like knitting,' she said.
She added that they would also love to have youth church leaders who will come and render sessions because they are also faced with people who have lost hope, as some lost their jobs during Covid.
She said they are currently seeking donations from business owners to sustain and grow their organisation.
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