Every pre-loved winter coat and bargain find at a Brackenfell charity shop helps vulnerable rural children access meals, homework help, and, most of all, hope for a brighter future.
Help The Rural Child charity shop in Brackenfell will host a free Winter 2026 Launch Event on Saturday, 14 March, featuring sustainable fashion shopping and styling advice. The event will take place between 11:00 and 13:00 at their shop at Okavango Junction in Kenwil Drive.
“The event, themed ‘Buy Good, Look Good, Feel Good’, will offer quality products at affordable prices for winter, whilst creating awareness for eco-conscious shopping,” says spokesperson Michelle Gibbs.
“We are collaborating with a local stylist to share fashion trends, tips and styling advice during the event, and various businesses who are contributing wonderful prizes for an exciting giveaway at the end of the event. Therefore, by promoting our event, we are hopefully also spreading awareness of these other local businesses in the Brackenfell area too.”
“This exciting expansion to the communities of the northern suburbs strengthens the organisation’s mission to raise vital funds to support rural children in need,” says Gibbs.
Critical support for rural children
The funds raised support rural children through the Goedgedacht Trust Path Onto Prosperity centres, which provide critical support for vulnerable children in rural communities.
“These centres offer nutritious meals, homework assistance, after-school care, sports and wellness activities, arts and crafts sessions and holiday programmes, in a safe and nurturing environment, ensuring that rural children who are living in distressed and impoverished conditions are given the opportunity to thrive,” said Gibbs.
The Brackenfell shop joins several others across Cape Town, all run with volunteer support and donations of used items.Help the Rural Child Charity Shops originated from Catholic Welfare and Development in 1998 as a second-hand bookshop in Mowbray.
The organisation became independent in 2006, forming Help the Rural Child Trust. The network has since grown to include seven retail shops, a mobile bookshop and an online children’s bookshop.
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