JOHANNESBURG – The winners of the World Cup winning Springboks’ Covid-19 fund-raising campaign have been announced. The campaign was launched to raise funds to help with hunger alleviation following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
In total, there were 44 winners announced on a live Facebook broadcast on Wednesday.
The #StrongerTogether for R32-12 campaign finished with 31928 raffle tickets sold and donations close to R80 000 were received for a total amount of R1.1-million raised. The two charities identified as part of the project - Gift of the Givers and Food Forward SA - received over R430 000 each. The school that won their challenge - driven by Boys for Action - was St John’s College in Joburg.
“We asked South Africans to answer the call and to help the Springboks to raise funds for poverty relief and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved during this campaign,” said SA Rugby’s Director of Rugby, Rassie Erasmus, who coached the Springboks to 2019 Rugby World success in Japan.
“The players didn’t hesitate when I asked them to contribute some of their most prized personal RWC items, and a number of them took part in events to help raise awareness for the project. I want to thank them, as well as their fellow South Africans for their generosity.”
🇿🇦 Thank you South Africa for making a difference
🗣️ "We assure you each donation will make a difference"
🏆 Prize draw at 12h00 on Wednesday - all the info here: https://t.co/PdgRCfofU9 #StrongerTogether @FoodForwardSA @GiftoftheGivers pic.twitter.com/nkqCDlFHLE
— Springboks (@Springboks) July 7, 2020
Bok captain Siya Kolisi said that through the distribution of the relief funds, the Springboks and people who contributed to the fund will ensure that less people will go to sleep on an empty stomach.
“The social economic impact caused by the pandemic has been devastating in some of our communities, with many people struggling for work and food,” explained Kolisi.
“Last year we asked our fellow South Africans to support us during the RWC campaign and they did a magnificent job. So when the opportunity came for the Springboks to be involved and to make a difference, we did so without hesitation and because it’s the right thing to do.
“The players all jumped onboard and donated personal items used during the RWC, which is really something special. We want to thank those who have contributed so generously and we assure you each donation will make a difference in someone’s life.”