The Daniel Foundation
The Daniel Foundation for Survivors is a heart-led, grassroots initiative focused on bringing dignity, comfort, and practical care to survivors of trauma — particularly women, children, and infants in crisis environments, hospital settings, and shelters across Gauteng.
It is not a registered NGO with a board and a warehouse.
It is something simpler — and perhaps more powerful than that.
It is a boot full of kindness, driven by one person with a clear heart, a faith foundation, and a deep belief that every person in crisis deserves to be seen. Deserves to be held. Deserves a moment of warmth in the middle of something unimaginable.
"This foundation was started in honour of a very special little toddler, Daniel. Wherever life's journey has led — you are remembered, always, with love."
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The reality we're responding to
Through connections with young medical students working in government hospitals across Gauteng, we became painfully aware of something that doesn't make the news but happens every single day.
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Women, men, and children arrive at public health facilities after experiencing sexual violence or domestic abuse — sometimes in the early hours of the morning, sometimes in shock, sometimes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Or less than that.
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After receiving emergency medical care and going through the forensic process, many of these survivors — particularly those under protective custody — have no access to a change of clothing. No toiletries. No moment of private dignity. Nothing clean to put on. That is the gap we are trying to fill. One bag at a time.
The Carry Kindness Bag
Each 'Carry Kindness' bag is a simple, practical package of dignity — designed to give a survivor the basics they need to feel human again after an unimaginable experience.
A standard bag includes:
🩷 A clean change of clothing (underwear, and a change of clothing, pajamas where possible)
🩷 A toothbrush and small bar of soap
🩷 A face cloth or small towel & sanitary items
🩷 Baby items — nappies, babygrows, blankets, bottles
🩷 A personalised sublimation pencil case — printed with a calming colouring page design
🩷 Watercolour pencils or crayons tucked inside the case
That last item matters more than it might seem.
Art — colouring, painting, drawing — is a recognised and widely used tool in trauma therapy. It offers an outlet that doesn't require words. A way to process what the mind isn't yet ready to say out loud. For children especially, a blank page and a set of colours can be the beginning of something that matters deeply.
So we print the pencil case itself as the colouring page — a soft, beautiful design that can be coloured in, kept, carried, and treasured. The bag becomes the activity. The activity becomes the therapy. And the whole thing fits in the palm of your hand.
How we source our supplies
We are a small operation running on heart and hustle — and we are completely transparent about how we work.
Donations of new or gently used clothing, toiletries, stationery, and toys are always deeply welcomed. When we have a shortfall on specific items, we often source second-hand clothing from U-Turn — a Melville-based charity store that does extraordinary work in its own right. Supporting them while furthering our mission feels exactly right to us.
Toys for children in prolonged hospital stays are also welcomed — though we are honest that maintaining consistency here is dependent on what we receive. We would rather tell you that truthfully than overpromise.
We do not currently accept cash donations.
Not because your generosity isn't valued — it absolutely is — but because we want to remain simple, accountable, and focused on the physical act of giving rather than financial administration. What we need most right now is items, time, and word of mouth.
