2022 Lesedi Award winner Faeeza Marshman on what drives her giving spirit

Marshman feeds the poor and cares for the elderly, and abused women and children, all at her own expense. She's also critically involved in local government, helping resolve any key challenges on behalf of the community. Through the Marshman Foundation, a non-profit organisation, she is looking to expand her reach. Its mission is to extend daily support to the community, rescue victims, and rehabilitate substance abusers.

Marshman's vision is to drive positive change in society and create a safe and secure community. She shared with us what her recent recognition means to her, how civil society and government can work more closely together, and why giving back is so important to her.

Congrats on winning the 2022 Lesedi Spirit of Volunteering Award. What does the recognition mean to you?

I am humbled. I accept these awards with sincere humility and deep gratitude. It makes me feel good, appreciated and valued. It gives me validation that I do make a difference, but most of all it boosts my confidence and inspires me to do so much more because it all feels so worth it. These awards created opportunities for sponsorship, donations, funding, and in-kind donations.

Tell us a bit about how you first got involved in volunteering.

In my personal space, I found myself residing across a home for the aged, where I witnessed how
the aged, members of our community, were neglected without any support or care from family members and loved ones. This compelled me to provide a caregiving role to the aged which included providing meals at my own expense.

In addition to this, the scourge of drug abuse and widespread domestic violence found its way to my doorstep. All this, coupled with the murder of my beloved sister at the hands of her husband in October 1992, made me passionate about making a difference in others’ lives.

A few years ago I returned to the neighbourhood of my birth, Bosmont, to reside there with my family. Within days of being there, I came across a group of kids aged between fice and 12 years old. As I drew closer to them, to my horror, I realised that they get drugged out and high on the glue that they sniff. They were roaming the streets looking for food and money. Sadly, they advised they use glue to take away the hunger and keep them warm during the cold nights (with the help of friends and family, we now manage to provide hot meals).

My heart and soul were immediately arrested with a deep sadness, concern, and compassion for them. Right then I decided to commit myself to caring for, guiding, and counselling these children.

Your journey so far has led you to establishing the Marshman Foundation in Gauteng. Tell us more about what the NPO does and the services it offers to communities in which it operates.

The work I do in the community includes attending to all needs of the elderly, providing food parcels when possible and spoiling them with lotions/soaps/vitamins, etc., when sponsored with products. Periodically, I’ll pay casual visits to them which usually lights up their faces with a smile. Also, giving the elderly time makes an enormous difference to their lives. I’ve also devised feeding schemes where I partner with various organisations, and we serve hot meals to the community.

Other activities of my volunteer work include:

• Assisting the poor - providing grocery parcels;
  
• Assisting abused woman and children by arranging for assistance and a safe place to
  stay;
  
• Assisting the drug addict who wants to be clean - to be placed in a reputable rehabilitation centre with the help of our local drug action group. I take the families and the addict to the interviews and give them moral support throughout the programme;
  
• Patients battling with our public health service is another battleground I fight to ensure said services are rendered to the needy;
  
• I am also involved with local government to help resolve community issues;
  
• I am part of a group called OB Patrollers 'Old Bosmont' - we keep our community safe and assist wherever there is a need - we are all vetted with Saps.

South Africa is riddled with societal issues with no easy fix available. How do you stay positive and motivated in the work that you do?

My journey is not an easy one all the time, it comes with many challenges.

To me, failure is not an option. Failing at any one promise means disappointing and letting down an individual or a group of people.

Those challenges are what drives me to stay focused on the goal. The support and motivation from my mentor and family members is key to my positivity. Over the years, my faith in Allah and daily positive thinking became habit. I try to always have a 'can do' attitude.

You're also considerably involved in local government issues. In your opinion, how can civil society and government work more closely and amplify their efforts in addressing key societal challenges?

Firstly, civil society needs to understand what challenges local government faces in meeting their requirements in our communities. They need to understand what the roles and responsibilities is of the various stakeholders in government - what the difference is between local government and provincial government.

Government must have user-friendly platforms to engage with the community. Civic education workshops need to be set up to educate the public on societal challenges and what the procedures and processes are of the local government.

Running an NPO and giving back to communities, all while working full-time, is quite a feat. What's your secret to managing it all?

My faith in my Allah (God) and the knowledge that Allah chose me to do this work gives me the confidence that Allah always makes everything possible.

I believe in work-life balance and a no-work-at-home policy unless it is necessary. This, together with planning, time management and collaboration with other parties, makes it all possible.

My achievement would never be possible without the help of various organisations I work with at times.

All the work we do in the community made me realise that my chances of getting sponsors on board to make what we are doing for the community easier was to set up an NPO. The intention for the NPO is to open a rehabilitation centre, a safe house for abused woman and children and a soup kitchen. I have a business plan for this, and I know when the time is right this will happen. In the meantime, we operate outside of this dream and serve the community.

Why is giving back so important to you and how has it impacted your personal and professional life?

Giving back to the community fulfils my needs of wanting to make a change in people's lives, bringing people together, giving people hope for a better future and quality of life. Helping those who cannot help themselves is both a humbling and rewarding experience.

Doing good for others and the community provides a natural sense of accomplishment, it builds empathy in a person. It gave me an identity and a sense of pride, boosted my self-confidence, and improved my self-esteem. It brings a lot of joy into one’s life. I made plenty of friends who also became family.

Professionally, it gave me an opportunity to practise important skills such as team work, communication, problem-solving, project-planning, and increased my leadership skills.

Do you have any words of encouragement/advice for others who would like to do the same but aren't sure where to start?

This kind of work can be emotionally draining, and it comes with many challenges. That at times will make a person want to give up.

Find that one thing that touches you emotionally and focus on that – one must remember that anybody can turn a challenge, a problem, or an unpleasant situation for someone into a happy ending or bring relief to their situation.

There are so many ways to help others as part of our everyday lives. Good deeds needn’t take much time or cost any money. Start by giving of your time and finding your place.

A favourite quote I like from Winston Churchill is: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."