Embattled Sparrow appeals for financial rescue

Theft seems to be the problem that has put the Sparrow Rainbow Village in dire straits. This nightmare has resulted in the organisation having a massive water bill, among other issues.

“Our water bill at the moment is standing at R5 million, because thieves jump the back gate and steal the copper pipes on all the domes that are empty,” said the founder and director of Sparrow Rainbow Village, Reverend Doctor Corine McClintock.

According to Corine, their lawnmowers have been stolen, as have their car, several gas bottles, a generator and radiators, among other things.

“This means that when there is load-shedding, we are in the dark. The thieves stripped the other generator we have, so we have no light except for candles. We have had our lawnmowers replaced at least three times,” she added.

The village’s mission is to provide care and comfort to adults and children who have been infected or affected by the HIV/ AIDS pandemic.

Explaining what they do, Corine said, “The organisation is both a hospice for the terminally ill and a children’s home for the vulnerable children who have become homeless due to the death of one or both of their parents. We have children here who are over 18 years old, who say that this is their home and they are not going anywhere.”

She added that their aim is to keep the people fed and take care of them.

“Our problem now is that the patients, who have never paid for staying here before, are now expected to pay, at least anything from R200. The organisation retrenched 46 nurses due to financial constraints and in an effort to try and save money; we currently have eight nurses who haven’t been paid since October 2018,” said Corine.

Due to their financial situation, the organisation sells things like big containers in order to survive. Corine went on to say that they are at a point where, if a light bulb explodes, they cannot afford to replace it.

Corine said they are looking into turning the domes into Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) houses for their residents, so they are looking into refurbishing the domes; however, they need financial assistance for that.

“Our future plan for this place is to give each child their own dome as an RDP house. That needs contractors to step in and help. The thieves have also stolen some of our shower tops, toilets, doors, and burglar proofing, just to mention a few things.”

She said they need the government to step in and assist where they can with the renovating.

“It is very difficult to keep going with everything that is going on but we thank Woolworths for keeping us fed, as well as the Muslim community,” she concluded.

Anyone willing to donate anything their heart desires can contact Corine on 082 200 4193 or 079 886 1890. You can also send an email to corine@sparrow.org.za or finance2@sparrow.org.za.