LGBTI community raises R42,000 for children’s charity

A disadvantaged rural children’s charity received a financial boost last month through an LGBTI fundraising initiative in Cape Town.

Representatives from Goedgedacht, based near Malmesbury, attended the Other Foundation’s latest Conversations event at Zenith Sky Bar in Green Point to take receipt of a cheque for R42,000.

Conversations Cape Town, launched in October 2013, is a monthly networking event for gay and lesbian professionals living and working in and around the Mother City. To date, there have been 28 highly successful events, hosted in upmarket hotels, bars and restaurants stretching from Camps Bay to Newlands. Conversations launched in Johannesburg in November 2014.

As well as facilitating face-to-face conversations between gay and lesbian professionals, be it for business or social networking purposes, Conversations is also socially responsible by raising money for and awareness of local charities.

The money raised for Goedgedacht came partly from the door charge paid by attendees at the Conversations events from June 2014 to October 2015. The R42,000 also includes generous donations from Triarc, DeVere Group and Gentlemen’s Health.

“I chose Goedgedacht as the second not-for-profit that Conversations in Cape Town would support because they provide invaluable support to disadvantaged rural communities; and I also wanted the LGBTI community to look outside of itself and help others in need,” said Andrew Howard, Partnerships Manager at the Other Foundation and founder of Conversations.

Mikal Lambert from Goedgedacht, who took receipt of the R42,000 cheque, said: “The Goedgedacht Trust is extremely grateful to Conversations for raising this money for us, which we will be using to fund our important work on food security, with a specific focus on the transfer of skills around small scale organic agriculture.”

In November, Conversations became a programme of the Other Foundation, the Johannesburg-based African trust that gathers support for those who are working to protect and advance the rights, well-being and social inclusion of LGBTI people in southern Africa.

“The Other Foundation is committed to contributing to the expansion of the field of African philanthropy,” said Shekeshe Mokgosi, the Public Engagement Manager at the Other Foundation”This involves raising money through programmes such as Conversations to promote and support innovative and effective strategies for social change with a particular focus on supporting LGBTI people to realise their full potential as individuals and full members of society.”

The Other Foundation’s next Conversations JHB event will be on Wednesday 10th February at House of Pharaohs Boutique Guest House in Bryanston. The event in March will be on Wednesday 16th at Protea Hotel Parktonian All-Suite in Braamfontein.

The next Cape Town event will be held at Middelvlei Wine Estate in Stellenbosch on Saturday 20th February. This will be followed by an event on 30th March at Palma Cape Town, an Italian restaurant on Bree Street.