Introduction

Gift of the Givers is the largest disaster response agency of African origin on the African continent. Established on 6 August 1992, our first project was in response to war-ravaged Bosnia.

We work in partnership with the South African government for virtually all international projects. Our government arranges diplomatic clearances with the government of the disaster affected country, sends South African diplomats on our missions, and arranges for South African ambassadors to receive us in the affected country if we have a diplomatic mission there.

Our response varies according to the type of disaster but in most cases the methodology and items used are similar. In most cases we would provide:

• Tents, floor mats, mattresses and blankets
• Food items including rice, flour, oil, sugar, baby milk, salt, beans
• Sibusiso Ready Food Supplement (a high energy and protein supplement, innovated by Gift of the Givers, and the first of its kind in the world)
• Medicines and other medical supplies
• Bottled water and water purification tablets
• Generators and ambulances
• Highly specialised medical equipment, and
• Teams of medical specialists.

In some cases we also get involved in the building of houses for victims of disasters or provide, for example, fishing boats and nets to communities to assist them to re-establish their livelihoods.

We pride ourselves in speed and efficiency of response, and in many disasters we are the first in the world to respond. We select and purchase the aid items, hire our own planes, send our own aid workers and medical teams and distribute the aid personally. Our aid is not handed over to third parties to distribute on our behalf. On virtually all missions, the South African media travel with us, reporting on our activities, and even the difficulties we face, in an impartial manner, thus making our missions very transparent to all donors, to South Africa and to our government as a result of which we have gained huge respect and recognition locally and internationally.