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Corona: ‘Feed Our Crew’ Initiative in South Africa

‘Feed Our Crew’ is an NGO initiative (non-government organization) in South Africa co-founded by Johannesburg-based Tamsyn Strydom (project manager from production and rental company MGG), Kagiso Moima Wa Masimini (KG) who owns Blackmotion Production and Marcia Alves from We Are Boundless. The goal is to focus on urgent fundraising for the temporary support of freelance live event technicians.

Working in collaboration with another NGO, People4Purpose - that provides individuals and families with basic necessities like food and clothing - donations are converted into 1000.00 ZAR vouchers (around £50), which are distributed to qualified recipients via their cell phones. This is calculated to provide enough money - with some care and creativity - to support a family’s fundamental needs for a month.

Feed Our Crew’s Daria Higgins, who runs a normally busy events company True North, comments, “There has been an immediate and devastating impact on the show and event industry across South Africa, and freelancers - the often invisible backbone of that usually vibrant  industry - are particularly badly hit.”

The vouchers are redeemable at the major retailers ShopRite/Checkers and can be used to buy groceries, medication plus other essential utilities like electricity, cell phone data and airtime - all fundamental to sustaining themselves until government assistance comes onstream.

In two weeks, the scheme has received hundreds of applications as well as generous support from companies and individuals in a position to help. Robe’s South African distributor DWR is one of these key sponsors, together with equipment rental production companies including MGG and Blackmotion as well as many individuals.

As word spread about Feed Our Crew, a Facebook page and website were established, starting on the 16th April. By the Friday of that week, the first donation had landed, they had partnered with People4Purpose led by Landy Yeatman who is also from the event industry and the plan was being activated.

Applicants can apply through the website or Facebook page and need to have an email and a cell phone number. They complete a form, submit their ID together with two references for verification that they have been actively engaged in the shows and events world. Feed Our Crew volunteers work every day to collate and process all the applications and manage the database, while the voucher distribution is coordinated by the People4Purpose team. To donate please visit www.feedourcrew.co.za or email the team at help@feedourcrew.co.za.

(Photos: Tamsyn Strydom/MGG Productions)

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