Something’s Missing Here!
“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”…a line in a collection of tales from about 160 years ago. South Africans might know that the waste-pickers seen in many cities around the country are responsible for the collection of 80 to 90% of recyclables from what our throw-away society tosses out. Much of what we regard as garbage doesn’t fit the “reclaimable” definition and so, what to do with that problematic pile after the back of the garage has been cleared? The chair with only three legs? Only one of a well-worn pair of hiking boots? Our now-grown offspring’s much scriibbled-in first picture book?
The team at The Domino Foundation were recently debating about some of the “pre-loved” donations sitting in the storeroom. Said volunteer manager, Thembeka Gumede, “People are very generous in what they give us, but sometimes it comes with a headache attached.” Who is going to repair that chair? And will they charge for doing so? Or should it be consigned to a skip?
The team has coined the phrase “Dignity in Donation” as part of an initiative to lead the community into an understanding of what is entailed when items which are very definitely well past their sell-by date land in the Donations Box. “Not only do we have to consider whether it is worth fixing,” Thembeka continued, “but we are also concerned that items beyond repair don’t reflect well on the donors, and they also show little understanding of the dignity of the possible recipients.” She asked Domino’s supporters to ask themselves about their heart-attitude when considering donating anything broken, worn, stained or incomplete.
The Foundation’s by-line has, for many years, been “Change an individual, change a community”. Thembeka believes that the change can work both ways: “We seen so many individuals in underserved situations stepping into futures filled with hope. But, if we ask these hard questions when wondering what to do with what we have hauled from the darkest corner of our children’s wardrobe, we will probably find that we are the individuals who are changed as we give with the right heart.”
An interesting sideline the NPO’s team hadn’t known emerged in their discussions when someone mentioned that the feel-good endorphins released when giving to others activate the parts of our brain associated with trust, pleasure, and social connection…”It’s called a ‘helper's high’!”
Thembeka emphasised that Domino is strategically looking to partner with honour and dignity for all with individual and corporate donors, so that givers and receivers are changed for the better. “If anyone has questions about whether what they are considering donating could be used by Domino and its beneficiariews, they can contact Lisa Doyle on admin @ domino.org.za.”
