U-turn Homeless Ministries delightedly reported its latest unique Night on the Streets awareness campaign on Saturday 18 May was a resounding success.
“We raised at least R650 000 and counting,” U-Turn’s Chief Communications Officer Valerie Govender told People’s Post. “Donations are still coming in, so we’ve decided to extend it to the end of the month! We had 30 participants, each of whom had very real experiences of what it felt like to sleep on the street.”
U-Turn has now decided A Night on the Streets will become an annual event to raise awareness of the plight of homelessness following several enthusiastic requests from participants and donors.
U-turn CEO Jean-Ray Knighton Fitt said the organisation was completely blown away by the tremendous success of the campaign.
“When we were planning it we knew the campaign was a great opportunity to highlight the reality of homelessness by spending one night on the streets. But we were completely amazed by the response we received from both the general public, donors and corporates.”
U-Turn expressed great gratitude to sponsors like SMG BMW Constantia and other corporates.
Participants acros the world
“We are already planning around a potential date for next year’s event with all the positive feedback we received,” Knighton Fitt added.
The event encouraged people to spend one night sleeping outside and experience a little bit of harsh homelessness personally (“Night on the Street” People’s Post 14 May). Thirty people answered the call to spend the night sleeping on the pavement outside the dealership on Main Road in Claremont, including Knighton Fitt and fellow U-Turn Champions.
Hundreds more supported the virtual option, by buying tickets via Quicket for R100. Many slept outside their homes, churches and schools to support the virtual event. The event broke international barriers by attracting support from a few countries abroad.
“To join us in solidarity we had participants in the United Kingdom, Ireland, America, Norway and Germany join us and sleep outside their homes,” Knighton Fitt pointed out.
“To my knowledge, this virtual event was the first of its kind to draw awareness to the experience of homelessness and we are glad to have been at the forefront of shaping a narrative around this worldwide issue.”
He admitted there were aspects of the experience that cushioned the full impact of what it meant to be homeless “but it was still a very real experience for him to sleep on the street”.
READ: U-Turn’s ‘Night on the Street’ virtual campaign urges community participation to combat homelessness
Challenges
“Thankfully it wasn’t unbearably cold, the sleeping bag and blanket helped keep me warm, but sleeping on just cardboard all night was a challenge.
“The real struggle was closing my eyes for rest, with the constant barrage of sounds from passing vehicles. Knowing that we were vulnerable to a variety of risks was also a concern.
“I can’t imagine what it looks like for those who have no other choice. Safe spaces are in high demand but not nearly enough to meet the current demands of 14 000 people here in Cape Town alone.”
Recounting his team’s experience, the Dealer Principal of SMG BMW Constantia Matthew James said: “As cliché as it sounds, you really only get a glimpse of somebody else’s situation once you have put yourself in their shoes, even if it is only for a little while.”
Awareness
For him, the homeless in our country deal with more than what one can imagine, especially on a cold winter night.
“My team and I have been riding a wave of elation since that night, feeling proud of what we have achieved with the help and willingness of a community and those who care.”
The campaign hoped to raise R1 million in donations of cash and kind. The current calculation indicates that it’s well over the half-way mark.
Donations in kind were also welcome for drop-offs at the BMW dealership or U-turn’s head office in Kenilworth until the end of May.
In his opening address on the night, Govender explained why this campaign was so exceptional: “Perhaps this African proverb sums it up, ‘Once you carry your own water, you’ll remember every drop.’ The key objective of this campaign is to create an awareness of homelessness.
“But first, let us really understand what it means to be homeless – let us try and carry ourselves through a cold night on the hard floor exposed and vulnerable – let us remember every drop of this experience.”
