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IOL News
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
How spending a night on the street transformed my view on homelessness
Participants of U-Turn's 'Night on the Street' spent a night on the pavement. Image: Ian Landsberg/Independent Media By Wendy Dondolo I've spent some time writing about homelessness, interviewing women who live on the streets, in alleyways, in makeshift shelters made of plastic and hope. I've come across mothers raising babies on cardboard, to men rebuilding their lives after addiction, and even young people cast out by a society that barely notices them. But on Saturday, I did something different. I stepped out from behind my notepad and spent a night on the streets myself. It wasn't performative. It wasn't brave. It was necessary. As part of U-Turn's Night on the Street campaign, I joined others in sleeping outside SMG BMW Cape Town to raise awareness and funds for the organisation's homeless rehabilitation work. For one night, I gave up the comfort of a warm bed and stepped into a fraction of the discomfort that comes with life on the streets. Participants of U-Turn's 'Night on the Street' spent a night on the pavement. Image: Ian Landsberg / Independent Media Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ I didn't do this to understand what it means to be homeless, because one night could never teach me that. What it did teach me was something far more personal: that empathy, real empathy, requires proximity. It requires sitting in someone else's world, even if only for a few hours, to feel the bite of the cold, the unease of unfamiliar noises, and the sharp awareness that you are exposed. As a journalist, I've often wondered whether telling someone's story is enough. Does writing about homelessness create real change? Or am I just documenting pain without participating in healing? That question haunted me as I lay on the concrete, surrounded by others also choosing discomfort for a cause. I thought of Patricia Geyser, one of the women I interviewed last year as part of IOL's Elevate Her campaign. We shared her story, her voice trembling as she said all she wanted was to be reunited with her children. Weeks later, her daughter saw the video and reached out. They were reunited after 27 years. Patricia has a family again. Participants of U-Turn's 'Night on the Street' spent a night on the pavement. Image: Ian Landsberg / Independent Media That moment reaffirmed why we do what we do in the newsroom. But that night on the street reaffirmed why we must do more than write. We must listen differently. Report differently. Engage differently. Sleeping outside didn't make me an expert. It made me more human. I no longer see "the homeless" as only a category to cover. I see individuals, some victims, some fighters, some flawed, just like the rest of us. And that shift, however small, changes everything about how I tell their stories. And to the women I've interviewed: thank you for trusting me with your stories. This time, I tried to walk a little in yours. I'm still listening. I always will be. * Wendy Dondolo is a junior journalist at IOL. ** The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of Independent Media or IOL. IOL News Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
IOL News
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
A Night on the Streets: U-Turn raises over R1 million to tackle homelessness
Participants in U-Turn's 'A Night on the Street' campaign bed down outside SMG BMW Cape Town. Image: Ian Landsberg/Independent Media In a powerful show of solidarity, compassion, and community, U-Turn's nights on the Streets campaign raised over R1 million to support homeless rehabilitation programs across South Africa. This brings the combined total for the 2024 and 2025 campaigns to a remarkable R1.922 million. The event, held on May 17 at BMW SMG in Cape Town, was more than a fundraiser; it was a night of storytelling, empathy, and collective action. Attendees gave up their comfort for one night to sleep outside, connecting with the lived experiences of those who face homelessness every day. 'This kind of sacrifice speaks volumes about your character and your hearts,' said Matthew James, Dealer Principal of SMG BMW, who also confirmed the final total. 'I can't believe I'm about to say this, but we have raised R1,125,000.' Colleen Lewis, U-Turn's founder, shared the deeply personal story of how the movement began on her own pavement in 1997. 'It started with just one ordinary woman from the 'burbs who had the love of Jesus in her heart,' she said. 'One person can make a difference.' Her story of two individuals living on the street led to a transformation that now serves thousands each year through U-Turn's recovery model. Jean-Ray Knighton-Fitt, U-Turn's CEO, described the night as an act of empathy rather than a simulation of street life. 'We're not trying to experience what it is to be homeless, but in some small way, we will wake up tomorrow morning different,' he said. 'U-Turn looks at each person as a person of value, with potential, and the ability to overcome their circumstances.' The evening also featured powerful remarks from Lance Witten, Editor-in-Chief of Independent Online, U-Turn's media partner. He spoke about IOL's Elevate Her campaign, which aims to highlight and humanise the stories of homeless individuals, particularly women. He recalled the story of Patricia Geyser, who was reunited with her daughter after 27 years through a video. 'That's the power that we have as media. And it is our responsibility to use that power,' he said Leila Suleiman introduced the MyChange voucher system, an innovative program that allows individuals to give responsibly. 'It's giving someone a hand up, not just a hand down,' she said, explaining how vouchers are exchanged at U-Turn centers for food, clothing, showers, or safe spaces. Participants also took part in 'voucher earning' activities, mirroring the steps U-Turn clients go through to access support services, and were rewarded with meals and blankets using earned vouchers. The event was closed with a stirring musical performance by 'As One', a group whose heartfelt songs provided a powerful and emotional soundtrack to the evening, echoing the night's themes of dignity, hope, and transformation. As the lights dimmed and attendees settled in for their night outside, a message echoed through the courtyard: 'This isn't just about sleeping outside. It's about seeing the humanity in someone else. It's about being a thread in the broken fabric of society, sewing it back together.' From the founders to the funders, from the storytellers to the singers, A Night on the Street 2025 was a celebration of empathy in action, and a resounding declaration that no one is too small to make a difference. IOL News Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel.
