Tinyiko Gwambe (22) originally from Tshilamba, a small town in Limpopo was born with no arms. From a young age she was determined not be held back by her disability and saw her challenges as an opportunity to push herself further and to live her life to the fullest as God intended.

“I had to learn early on not play the blame game and accept myself for being born this way. I had to realize that with being disabled, my obstacles would oftentimes be greater than those of able-bodied individuals. So I pushed myself to do more, I found gratitude in exceeding people’s expectations of me and through scripture found the confidence to chase my dreams” - says Gwambe

When her mom passed at the age of 15, Tinyiko was removed from her loving aunt, Josephine Makhado who had dedicated her life to raising her and was let down by the constant changing of caregivers sent to look after her and negligent  social workers who sent her to live with her father, who had taken her mother’s other sister as his partner shortly after her mom’s passing.

“The social workers did not have the experience to take care of me. They did not understand my needs. For instance, they would get a caregiver who did not even know how to carry me. The painful truth is, sometimes I would go a day without eating. It was difficult dealing with the loss of my mom and dealing with complicated family dynamics. I felt that no one was looking out for me and I felt really alone” says Gwambe

In the two years Tinyiko spent without her aunt, she found her purpose and decided to become a social worker to help others in her situation and provide the care and stability she craved growing up.

“I noticed how disabled individuals in the rural areas were affected by poor education, leaving them to rely on social grants which barely cover daily expenses or seek unskilled jobs. I also felt that my needs were overlooked growing up and that I got lost in the system and decided that I would be a part of the solution and empower others regardless of their disability” says Gwambe

In 2015, Tinyiko reunited with her aunt in Pretoria and began studying for her Social work degree (BSW) at the University of Pretoria, as a straight A student, she looks forward to tackling her masters degree next year. The only obstacle Tinyiko faces now is mobility: currently she relies on her sister or boyfriend to make it to lectures, when they are unable to assist, she relies on public transport which can be unpredictable and often problematic.

Hoping to raise enough funds for a specialized vehicle imported from the UK, a campaign has been created on donations based crowdfunding platform BackaBuddy to appeal to the public to support her in becoming more independent and to empower her when she is placed into her first job as a social worker.

“Being a social worker often requires a lot of traveling and field work. To do my job more effectively and even make it to lectures for the time being, I will need to rely myself. Once this obstacle is overcome, I will be able to utilize my skill set and serve my community to the best of my ability. I really hope the public will support my BackaBuddy campaign” says Gwambe

The campaign went live on  4 April 2018 and has thus far raised R9 322.30 with contributions from 25 donors towards the target of R350 000. 

Support Tiny in raising funds for her specialized vehicle by donating here:  https://www.backabuddy.co.za/raising-money-for-a-special-car

For more information or to start your own campaign email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Joshua Naicker (22 months old) from Midrand, Johannesburg, was born at only 33 weeks old with challenging circumstances. The circumference of his head measured 45 cm, a length greater than his body, due to tremendous fluid on his brain.

Proud parents, Phillecia (29) and Bradley (36) were elated to welcome their first born into the world after 5 years of marriage and with uncomplicated family medical history, they could not have anticipated the difficult road ahead.Baby Joshua was diagnosed with congenital Hydrocephalus, more commonly known as “water on the brain”. This relentless and incurable disease currently affects 1 in every 500 babies globally.

At only 10 days old Joshua had already undergone his first brain surgery and spent the first two months of his life in Neonatal ICU, where he received a number of plasma blood transfusions to compensate for hemorrhaging large amounts of blood. He has since been fitted with a shunt (a thin piece of plastic tubing with a catheter), which drains the fluid from his brain to his stomach.

As a result of this rare disease Joshua has developed a number of serious conditionsnamely Cerebral Palsy (Hemiplegia), severe Cortical Visual Impairment, Hip Dysplasia, Epilepsy, Chiari Malformation, Scoliosis, missing Septum Pellucid, global developmental delay and hypertonia.

“He has had a total of 5 operations in his short existence, 3 of them being brain surgeries, uncountable hours of therapy and doctors appointments. His daily activities are so challenging and he cannot perform any tasks independently such as sitting, standing, crawling, playing, eating or drinking.” – says Bradley.

Despite his challenging circumstances, Joshua is described as a bubbly child, who loves affection.“He has the most beautiful smile, a smile that can capture anyone's heart. He exudes love and happiness. He has the true heart of a warrior.” – says Phillecia 

“He has come such a long way and is getting very close to sitting and crawling each day. He is beating the odds and with the right treatment and therapy has a chance at developing normally.” – adds Bradley

With unexpected mounting medical costs, Joshua’s parents have appealed to the public for support and set up a campaign on donations-based crowdfunding platform, BackaBuddy hopes to fund raise a total of R400 000 for Joshua to undergo Stem Cell Therapy at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

“Stem cell treatment will help him have a better quality of life and we are hoping it will specifically help with his vision, as he is practically blind. Stem cells have the ability to regenerate and repair the damaged brain cells. Duke University has performed thousands of stem cell infusions specifically for children born with this condition. We are hopeful that the procedure will eliminate at least one of Joshua’s conditions” – says Bradley

Breakdown of medical costs:

• The estimated total cost of the first stem cell treatment will be around R344 700 allowing for exchange rate fluctuations or an approximate 10 per cent increase.
• Banking and processing the stem cells for infusion: R20 460HLA-typing of both siblings to confirm a match: R6 507Transporting the stem cells to America: R26 300
• Infusion of stem cells: R216 100
• Transportation and accommodation in America: R44 000

“From the time Joshua was born we have done our best to manage this extremely difficult and expensive situation on our own, but the financial toll on our family has been overwhelming and we need help. We cannot express our gratitude to everyone who has supported out BackaBuddy campaign. Donors have given our boy a chance at a life where he will encounter far less challenges” – says Phillecia. 

Joshua’s campaign has thus far raised R45 498 towards his fundraising goal of R400 000 with contributions from 64 donors.Contribute Joshua’s medical campaign by donating here: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/hope-for-joshua

Participate in the Global Giving Survey to empower Charities in South Africa here

BackaBuddy a proudly South African crowdfunding platform where individuals have the opportunity to raise funds for causes they feel passionate about.BackaBuddy has raised over R65.6 million various causes and charitable organizations in South Africa.T

Take a look at our Website site https://www.backabuddy.co.za

For additional information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. / 082 602 0735