IBV VIP CHILDREN'S DAY

South Africa has a large number of underprivileged people in it's population, there are a number of factors that contribute to this, one of them being the high unemployment rate, from this the people who are most to suffer are the kids as many become abandoned or orphaned. Their life isn't a nice one and sometimes the smallest gestures mean the world to them. 

Every year for the past 8 years, one company in Durban has given these children a day that they won't forget. The IBV Children's VIP Day is one that warms the hearts of many, as it see's 3000 underprivileged children and their caregivers transported to a fantasy land for a day. This years event takes place on the 12th of August and the ICC Durban Exhibition Center. The day promises loads of treats and giveaways, as well as entertainment, food and treats by the truck load. 

CEO of IBV, Ashok Sewnarain and the creator of this event had this to say about this years event, "We have once again partnered with CEO's, business executives, pop stars, sportsmen and woman, who have volunteered to get involved to serve and entertain these children for a magical day.

The event is unique in that no cash donations are accepted from sponsors, instead corporates are encouraged to get involved on the day, or to make donations in kind (food, entertainment or goodies to give away). "We want your time and energy" Sewnarain urged, "and not your money, so come along and get your hands dirty. You'll see life through a different lens after serving at this event. and your life will change you forever"

To get involved, contact Shivani Gosai on 031 566 3984 or shivani@ibvglobal.com, alternatively, visit www.internationalvaults.com for more information.  

At the table through the eyes of a kid

Remember that  TV show, 'Kids say the darndest things'? I quite enjoyed watching it, even though I was a teen, seeing what these bunch of kids had to say was highly entertaining and I wasn't alone in this. Most of my friends and family loved it as well. Kids are innocent so anything they say will always end up being cute or funny which is why the show was extremely popular but it was also to prove the fact that even though we were once kids, we can never really relate to them and think on the same level. 

Moving forward to present times, its even harder with technology becoming an integral part with the younger generations. Many kids get iPads form the age of 2! Heck I'm touching 29 and I still don't own one! They have the ability to learn things quicker and in such they end up knowing more about the devices they have than the parents that bought it for them. With these devices they have access to the internet, and with that access to social media. As we all know with social media, things can either go very good or very bad, very quickly but for the case of Dhiyarv Govender it's gone very good, infact extremely good, extremely quickly.

Dhiyarv with the help of his parents started the page "YUMMY or YUCKY", which essentially is a food critic page for kids. With the fast pace lives we now lead with most families having both parents working, they are often forced to eat out most of the time. Normally it would be to the parents disgression and not considering whether or not their child would enjoy the food from there. With this Facebook page, Dhiyarv has set out to do reviews on places he has visited, all reviews are done by him so the posts are aimed at youngsters of the same age since they can relate, the ratings come from the page title with YUMMY being good and YUCKY being not so good, there is another category which is YUMMILICIOUS which is very good. 

The reviews also give other parents an insight into places that their kids might like, that would avoid the outing where the only thing your child can understand or stomach off the menu is a plate of french fries. The reviews are pretty simple but at the same time gives you an insight into what kids would enjoy about the various places. Dhiyarv has already been featured in the local papers and has many admirer's including South Africa's first Masterchef, Deena Naidoo. The page itself is doing pretty well in terms of reach since its creation in Feb this year, it already has in excess of 500 likes and over 8000 views, all this achieved without any advertising! some agencies would kill for such exposure.

Also on the page you can find recipes that he has cooked up with the help of his folks. Due to its popularity, Dhiyarv didn't want all the attention from the page to be about himself because the aim of the page is about kids interest, so he welcomes reviews done by other youngsters. So if you have a budding foodie in your home that you think would contribute well to this page, drop YUMMY or YUCKY page on Facebook a message. 

Journey of Hope

KFC is undoubtedly one of South Africa's favourite fast food franchise, with outlets nationwide all making that delicious crispy fried chicken just the way the Colonel used to. Now although they're mostly noted for the food, locally KFC have been running a campaign for a while, a campaign known as "add hope". Add hope is a national feeding program which ensures children have access to nutrition in order to live, grow and thrive. How can one be a part of this? Simple, after placing your order at any KFC, you can donate R2 towards this cause by adding it to your bill. Your R2 can go a long way to feeding the less fortunate.

Riaanon his journey

Recently KFC partnered up with renowned South African adventurer Riaan Manser to help feed South Africa's children. In September he embarked on his journey, an epic adventure to cycle the country and his route will read the message of "hope". In total Riaan would travel 4100km in 2 months, stopping off in many towns along the way to highlight both, the plight of hunger and the positive impact that Add Hope is making to the countries children. This Friday, the 19th of October see's him making a stop in Durban at the North Beach KFC, situated in the Mangrove Beach Center on Somtsea Road at 9am. Come join in and support Riaan in his inspiring journey across the country, to better the lives of the children. You together with KFC, Riaan and the Add Hope campaign can help a nation prosper.

 

You can follow Riaan on his journey via twitter through @KFCSA or @riaanmaser  or follow the hash tag #addhope