Help pastor bring Christmas cheer to Hangberg’s children

It’s that time of the year, when the Christmas trees come out and decorations are displayed for all to see.

But not many will be as fortunate and this is where Pastor Philip Frans and the Hangberg Education Development Movement will be looking to step in.

Every year, Mr Frans teams up with others from Hout Bay to throw the children in his community a Christmas party they will never forget and this year he is looking to do the same.

“We are currently facing a lot of social issues due to the high unemployment rate and now with Covid-19, the community and church leaders must put all their differences aside and start to serve the people of Hangberg,” says Mr Frans.

Back in 1997, Mr Frans founded the Fairhaven Mission Church and through the Hangberg Education Development Movement started a number of outreach projects in the area.

It was in 2006, during one of his Sunday school classes, that he started wondering whether the children had enough to eat.

“I saw that some of them were not being taken good care of and I started wondering if they had something to eat before they came to Sunday school,” he said.

Mr Frans then approached businesses in the Hout Bay community asking for support to feed the children.

“I gave them a meal to eat every Sunday and I handed them a food parcel to take home to their families and it just started growing from there,” Mr Frans said.

He said it was challenging at times, as there were days he was made to wait outside the store for an entire day, waiting for the goods to arrive, but it was the well-being of the children that has kept him going for all these years.

Since the establishment of the Fairhaven Faith Mission Church more than 20 years ago, it has branched out to areas such Delft, Belhar, Mitchell’s Plain and Lavender Hill.

At this year’s annual Christmas party, which has been running for nearly 15 years now, they plan to host 300 children on Wednesday December 23 and the Hangberg Sports Complex.

But Mr Frans is still in need of donations to pull off this year’s party. “Please can we do it for our kids,” he said.

Items such as sweets, chips, facecloths, tooth paste and educational toys are among the items still needed.

“We are appealing to the residents of Hout Bay to adopt a child and help us make this Christmas special for them,” Mr Frans said.

• Anybody willing to donate items towards the Christmas party can do so by dropping them off in the baskets placed at Super Spar, Pick n Pay and OK Mini Market stores in Hout Bay or you can call Mr Frans on 079 067 1345.