GreaterGood South Africa

Talking with angels
Sunday, July 4th 2010

Pat Van Rensburg and her husband, Phillip, run Little Angels – a GreaterGood SA-registered cause providing a place of safety to abandoned and abused children. Their passion for the children shines through, even as they struggle with the day-to-day challenges faced by many of the causes in the GreaterGood community. They talked to Sophie Hobbs about their work, their needs and their hopes for the future.

Within minutes of meeting Pat and Phillip in the small yard of their day care facility behind Westlake Business Park, I am struck by the extraordinary commitment of these two ordinary South Africans.

“We`ve been taking in children since 1997,” says Pat with a smile. “We took in one baby, which led to two babies, which lead to six babies and eventually we decided to start Little Angels.\"

Filling a need

“We started off just taking in babies who were abandoned. Some of the children we have adopted ourselves. We try to fill any little need that we can, mainly around the needs of the children. Often these are very poor families and we help to support them with clothing, with food items. Wherever children are concerned, we will get involved.”

Regular support

There are not many people who would take in even one abandoned child, yet here are Pat and Phillip, opening their home and hearts as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

But relying on the donations and goodwill of others to provide this kind of care comes with its own challenges, as Phillip explains: “We have a handful of people who donate regularly and we have quite a few corporates who give ad-hoc donations. A couple of churches also help but the biggest need is for regular monthly support and that is the most difficult thing for us to get together.”

“We write a lot of funding proposals,” Phillip says. He looks tired. “The last couple of years have been very difficult because of the economic downturn. Our biggest need I would say is for regular monthly support so that we can budget and know that we have sustainability into the future.”

Everybody’s children

“We have always had loads of community involvement right from the beginning and that`s very important to us,” says Pat. “Because these aren\'t our children, these are everybody\'s children.”

Unintentionally paraphrasing the GreaterGood SA mantra that everyone has something to give, Pat continues: “There are so many ways that people can make a difference – either in their time or in things that they are able to do or to give.”

“Even prayer support; that is what gets us through everything we do. Come in and visit with the children. Come in and help us when we do our activities. We love the children to have company with them, to make them feel special.”

Money to live

If only prayers were enough to pay the bills. Providing emergency care to babies when they arrive at Little Angels means Pat and Philip have to have funds at the ready; there’s no time to raise it.

“At the end of the day, you do need money to live,” says Pat. “People give you money and say \"buy baby food with it or clothing\". Or they will buy us goodies which we do appreciate but often it is something we don\'t really need at that time and yet we need money to pay for the electricity and the water to keep the children.”

“We have to pay for petrol, we have to pay for stationery – we send out thank you letters, we do emailing and all of this costs money. Nobody would like to help you with that kind of funding; also for salaries. That is a major problem.”

Make a wish

The Holy Grail for Pat and Phillip – and for most causes – is regular funding. “Everybody needs to know that there is a little bit coming in,” says Pat. “And if you know more or less what amount you are working with, it helps you to budget. Once-off gifts are marvellous but you never know whether it will happen again so the regular help is wonderful.”

I leave Little Angels to return to the office deeply humbled. Here are two people who give of themselves for no other reason than it is the right thing to do. Thank heavens for people like Pat and Phillip; what would we do without them?

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