{"id":23556,"date":"2025-05-14T12:09:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T10:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-south\/?p=23556"},"modified":"2025-05-14T12:09:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T10:09:27","slug":"join-the-movement-help-sa-guide-dogs-raise-1000-white-canes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/joburg-south\/blog\/2025\/05\/14\/join-the-movement-help-sa-guide-dogs-raise-1000-white-canes\/","title":{"rendered":"Join the movement: Help SA Guide-Dogs raise 1,000 white canes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last year, South Africa helped raise enough to buy 500 white canes. This year, the South African Guide-Dogs Association hopes to double the impact, one R50 donation at a time.<\/p>\n

The second Give a Cane campaign runs from May 12 to July 31, and the association is calling on South Africans to help raise enough funds to distribute at least 1,000 white canes, along with essential orientation and mobility training. With donations starting from just R50, everyone has the opportunity to be part of someone’s journey to independence.<\/p>\n

\u201cA white cane is so much more than a mobility aid, it\u2019s freedom, dignity, and the confidence to move through life independently,\u201d says Pieter van Niekerk, spokesperson for the SA Guide-Dogs Association and a white cane user himself.<\/p>\n

Real lives. Real impact. Take Mtale Moodise, a gym enthusiast from Cosmo City, who confidently walks himself to and from the gym with the help of his cane. Or Ceala, who lost her vision suddenly during matric, and after a year of adjustment and support, passed and is now studying Psychology at the University of Pretoria.<\/p>\n

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Ake Mtale Moodise, a gym enthusiast from Cosmo City. Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Then there\u2019s Henrick, who lost his sight at age eight and today is a first-year Law student with dreams of working in cybersecurity. Each of these lives was changed by something as simple and as powerful as a white cane.<\/p>\n

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Henrick. Photo: Supplied<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why the white cane matters. The white cane used by SA Guide-Dogs is not a regular walking stick. It\u2019s a specialised mobility tool with a rounded ball tip designed to detect changes in terrain, from sidewalks to tactile paving, and signal to others that the user is visually impaired. This promotes safety, awareness, and inclusion in public spaces.<\/p>\n

Get involved<\/strong><\/h4>\n

You don\u2019t have to walk alone, and you don\u2019t have to give big. A R50 donation helps bring someone closer to independence.<\/p>\n

You can also<\/strong><\/p>\n