Donation for Aids ministry

Nutritional supplements, toys and a piano were donated by the Tiens Group to Ikageng Itireleng Aids Ministry, the sixth time it has assisted the organisation.
THE faces of orphaned and vulnerable children from Ikageng Itireleng Aids Ministry shone with delight when they received R200 000 worth of nutritional supplements, toys and a piano from Tiens Group.

a certificate of appreciationItireleng founder Carol Dyantyi gets a certificate of appreciation from TiensThe donations were handed over at a ceremony at Uncle Tom’s Hall in Orlando West, Soweto on Thursday, 29 March. The nutritional supplements will help boost the immunity of the children and their caregivers, who are mainly elderly women.

The donations include antilipemic tea, calcium, zinc supplements and electronic leg massage equipment that will improve blood circulation.

Li Jin Yuan, the founder and chairman of Tiens Group, who handed over the items to the founder of Ikageng Itireleng Aids Ministry, Carol Dyantyi, expressed hope that the items would improve the lives of the children. “We are committed to driving sustainable positive change in communities,” he said.

It was the sixth time that the company had made such a donation to the ministry. Tiens Group is a Chinese pharmaceutical conglomerate that manufactures a wide range of functional foods and cosmetics. It has branches worldwide, including in Southern Africa.

Social responsibility
Tiens Southern Africa region president, Kevin Hou, said his organisation believed in giving back to the community.

“Our aim is to create a sustainable environment for those affected by and infected with HIV/Aids and by selecting charities that add to the quality of life for those it takes care. We are one step closer to improving the quality of life for HIV/Aids sufferers,” said Hou, adding that the donations would help create better lives for those suffering from the disease.

Dyantyi thanked the company for its kindness, saying that it was refreshing that such a huge organisation thought of the welfare of others. “I am grateful that Tiens has become part of the village by making it possible for us to raise our children.”

She encouraged other organisations to emulate Tiens’ actions. “Most companies are not donating at the present moment due to the economic meltdown that is happening globally, making it impossible for us to take more children.”

Miss Soweto, Lebogang Monggae, also thanked Tiens for supporting Soweto. “It is remarkable how much people are prepared to help others,” she added.

Ikageng Itirileng Aids Ministry is a community outreach project that supports more than 2 000 orphaned and vulnerable children living in child-headed homes in Soweto by providing them with skills and resources.