Men Stand Tall founder, Dennis Stander, second from right, and volunteers of his organisation, visited Leliebloem House children's home on Saturday April 5 to launch a project there. The group donated toiletry bags filed with essentials, to all the boys there and at Realistic Boys Home.
Image: Hazel Allies-Husselman
Actor and community activist Dennis Stander and his team from Men Stand Tall launched a project at Leliebloem House children's home, to support boys there with positive role models.
Mr Stander, the founder of the non-profit organisation, Men Stand Tall, wanted to do something different for his birthday this year.
"My birthday is was on Tuesday April 1, and I wanted to do something with a lasting impact. I approached some organisations to hear what their needs are, and some requested sanitary towels. This made me think of the boy child. What are we doing for them? I then got into contact with Leliebloem House and Realistic and put a call out to men to donate toiletry bags. Each one of the toiletry bags are filled with essentials and a personal note to the boy who receives it. The call was not for monetary donations. This whole initiative called on men to put in their time as well. Men Stand Tall grew from an organisation to a statement," Mr Stander said.
On Saturday April 5, the group of men visited Leliebloem to hand over the toiletry bags, play games with the boys and had a boerewors braai to launch the project. About 50 boys will benefit from this project, as the organisation has pledged to "walk with the boys" over the next year.
"We need to show these young boys a different man. Positive role models. This is an experience, not a once-off event. We have not looked at the finer details of the project yet, but we will workshop ideas. We want to see how the men's skills can be used to help the boys in a holistic way. We all have different skills. We are looking at character building exercises, hiking, sport, transferring artisan skills, and having conversations around 'what is a man?' We want to encourage businessmen who come from nothing, to invest in these young boys. Our framework will fit in with the needs of the boys and partnerships are key. Among our partners are Hillsong Church and Athlone SAPS," Mr Stander said.
Roderick Rumble, a volunteer in the project, said he got on board because he knows that many of the boys did not have the opportunity to just be children.
"Many of the children have to care for their siblings, and this often leads to school drop-outs. Some of them didn't even complete primary school because of their home circumstances. They are exposed to so much trauma in their young lives, and if we don't claim them and take them under our wing, then the gangsters will claim them," Mr Rumble said.
Carla Steward from Leliebloem House said this initiative is "pretty special".
"They are not only reaching out to the needs of the boys, but the boys now also have an opportunity to connect with positive role models and father figures - which is different to what they are used to. We can only embrace Mr Stander and his team for supporting our toiletry campaign. It amplifies kindness and generosity. It will definitely make a difference. We are also grateful to be able to network with these men who are committing as individuals and organisations to give back and inspire others to do the same," Ms Steward said.