Charity organisation hosts Street Store

Love is Charity (LIS) is a charity initiative founded in the year 2012. It looks to play its part in the eradication of poverty in Namibia, having hosted various charity drives such as: The Charity Fun Day, The Charity Fund-raising Initiative, Donate a Blanket Initiative and the Hot Chocolate Outreach.
Mavis Elias a Civil Engineering student at NUST, has been the driving force behind Love is Charity since its inception. Together, with a team of young and socially concerned individuals, the organisation hosted a charity pop-up shop.
Last week the Love Is Charity organisation hosted is very first Street Store at the Palm Tree Park in Windhoek, simultaneously another was held in Walvis Bay. The Street Store originates from Cape Town, South Africa, and has spread across the globe and looks to create a shopping experience for the less fortunate who are unable to fend for themselves.
“As opposed to simply donating goods, we allowed the less fortunate to browse through a makeshift, pop-up store and choose the items of their liking ranging from shoes, shirts, jerseys, trousers, creating the ultimate shopping experience coupled with a meal and entertainment” said Elias.
“The Love is Charity team previously had gone on an outreach missionand it was rather heart breaking to see the conditions in which the people live. Nonetheless, word travelled among them and Saturday we saw them come out to shop,” she said.
The Street Store kicked off at 9am, having attracted a vast amount of people who live on the street. They were then granted tokens which allowed them to shop for 6 items each.
The items that were most needed are mattresses to which the organization donated 5.
“What was amazing about it all is seeing the beaming faces; genuine happiness amongst the less fortunate who were allowed a day of shopping, creating an experience that was unforgettable for both them and us, the volunteer team,” she said.
“We, the Love Is Charity foundation, would like to thank everyone who came on board and assisted in making this a reality. To all our volunteers and sponsors we say thank you; Afterschool Multimedia, Energy 100fm, Readi Bites, Simply You Magazine, Get Graphics, Stuttafords, Khakane Shop, OAK Media, Rent-A-Drum and Ogopa Butterfly,” Elias said.
This initiative aided an estimated 60-80 less fortunate beings residing in and around the CBD as well as the Dolam Children’s Home.