Last year, enough funds were raised to give 500 white canes to visually impaired people. Now, local Guide Dogs and their friends are preparing to one-up the impact with the second annual Give a Cane Campaign!
South Africa (16 May 2025) – Mtale Moodise is a gym enthusiast from Cosmo City. But, without his white cane to guide his way, he’d have a pretty tough time getting to and from his favourite place. The same goes for Ceala, who lost her vision suddenly during matric. Now a student studying Psychology at the University of Pretoria, Ceala’s white cane is an imperative tool to her freedom and academic success. These are just two of hundreds of stories in which white canes have made a difference for South Africans. Which is exactly why the Give a Cane campaign matters as much as it does.
Last year, the SA Guide-Dogs Association’s Give a Cane Campaign made its debut and raised enough funds to buy 500 white canes for the visually impaired. Following its success, the Guide Dogs team are amping up for a new year of impact; setting their sights on 1000 canes!
“A white cane is so much more than a mobility aid,” says Pieter van Niekerk, spokesperson for the SA Guide-Dogs Association and a white cane user himself. “It’s freedom, dignity, and the confidence to move through life independently.”
The white cane used by SA Guide-Dogs is not a regular walking stick. It’s actually a specialised mobility tool fitted with a rounded ball tip that’s designed to detect changes in terrain, so that the user can know the whether they’ve gone from sidewalk to tactile paving. It’s distinctive look also helps others in the area know that the user is visually impaired and not just, say elderly.
All of this in mind, it can mean a life with more freedom and help to someone who needs it.
Getting involved in the 2025 Give a Cane Campaign is easy peasy. You can raise funds solo or with your office or school. You can tackle a big run or organise a small walkathon, dress-up-a-thon or even a blind fold challenge day.
The point isn’t so much how you participate, it’s that you participate!
And, in good news for businesses, donations are eligible for Section 18A Tax Certificates.
The Give a Cane Campaign is running until 31 July, and you can find out more about contributing and donating, here.
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