There’s nothing more heartfelt than a smile that creeps across a child’s face.

In a bid to bring joy to needy children’s heart this Christmas, the DUT community came on board the East Coast Radio Toy Story Campaign by donating two boxes of toys.

The initiative, which also features Game stores as a partner, was aimed at giving a new toy to every child in government hospitals, children’s homes as well as state orphanages and crèches that rely on government funding. For many of these little ones, these are the first new toys they will own.

Funds also donated to the campaign will go towards buying food parcels for child-headed households in KwaZulu-Natal to help see the children through the December holidays until school reopens.

Last year, 43 000 new toys and R1.4 million in cash was donated. One-hundred percent of the contributions were donated towards helping ill and underprivileged children across KZN.

DUT’s Ann De Meyer, Assistant Registrar, who was instrumental in co-ordinating the collection points for toys at DUT, said, “Many children are abused, neglected and used as a means to an end for example to get money from government. There is no quality of life for these children and so we need to talk about that more often and find ways of helping to change that in the hope that when these children grow, up they are able to play a valuable role in the civilisation of our country. My biggest and sole reward is the realisation that we have made a significant change in someone’s life. For that short while, these children see hope and cherish the smallest of things, because they feel wanted and loved, so this kind of a drive should be practiced all year round, where the children get to feel loved more often. Giving back to the community is the right thing to do, and by the DUT community’s involvement distinguishes it from other universities.”

– Waheeda Peters

Pictured: Toys donated by the DUT community to the East Coast Radio’s Toy Story Campaign.