Today The Angel Network Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary
Double digits, a whole decade of compassion, growth and collective impact.
From humble beginnings around my dining room table, packing toiletry bags and collecting blankets, Easter eggs, and school shoes, we have evolved into a national movement of hope and dignity. From a single branch in Johannesburg, we now operate in Gauteng, the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Australia, and America.
Over the past ten years, we have:
- Supplied over 30 million meals
- Built hundreds of homes,
- Provided education and employment opportunities,
- Funded life-saving cardiac surgeries for babies, and extended a helping hand to countless inliiduals and communities across South Africa.
This extraordinary journey has only been possible through the generosity and commitment of our donors, volunteers and supporters. Each contribution, big or small, has helped make our country, and our world, a little better, one act of kindness at a time.
They say it takes a village and what an incredible village ours is.
To the heart and soul of The Angel Network, Dalia Katz, Terri Fittinghoff Marks, Mariel Makes, Janene Levy Nates, Tanya Caminsky Altshuler, Rachel Kinloch, Rachel Maehler, Clive Mashishi, Lindi Markowitz Katzoff, Simone Joffe, Louise Roth Fisher, Tammy Ceppi, Jo-Ann Bloch, Martine Chait, Janine Frier, Anne Trocki Reef, Lara Shwer, Melanie Levy, Dean Solomon, Karen Landi, whose tireless efforts have been the driving force behind everything we’ve achieved. And of course, Hayley Dorfman Glasser whose has been with me since day one; I’m endlessly grateful for your loyalty, friendship, and belief in this vision. And how wonderful that, ten years on, we’ve finally outgrown my dining room table!
We’re also thrilled to welcome Martine Schaffer, our new COO, whose expertise, passion and energy will guide us into an exciting new chapter of growth and sustainability.
As we celebrate this milestone, we look ahead with optimism, purpose, and gratitude. Here’s to the next decade and beyond, to more hope, more impact, and more lives changed.
Happy 10th Birthday to us!
Thank you for helping us uplift communities, restore dignity, change lives and spread kindness wherever it’s needed. Together, we have proven that compassion truly has the power to transform lives.
About Us
The Angel Network is a registered Non-Profit Organisation (NPO: 181-947) and a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO: 930064016), empowered entirely through the reach of social media. We are authorised to issue Section 18A tax-deductible receipts for any donations made.
Our vision is to empower individuals and communities to reach their full potential and become active, contributing members of society. We are driven by a mission to alleviate poverty and address social injustices by working hand-in-hand with communities across South Africa.
Since our inception in November 2015, we have been committed to creating a gateway for giving—offering a structured, strategic, and sustainable approach to supporting the country’s most impoverished communities. We are not aligned with any single charity; instead, we serve as a dynamic and well-connected conduit between those who want to help and those in need.
What began as a reactive initiative has grown into a powerful, responsive network with the capacity to drive meaningful change. Our focus has evolved to include long-term community rebuilding efforts, while remaining agile enough to provide immediate assistance wherever it’s needed. Through compassion, collaboration, and action, we strive to offer not just a handout, but a hand up—helping people move toward self-sufficiency and hope.
Message from the Founder
In November 2015, I witnessed the extraordinary power of social media—the day The Angel Network was born.What began as a simple response to overwhelming need quickly grew into a movement of kindness, action, and hope. Since then, we have provided food, sanitation, clothing, education, and essential supplies to schools, crèches, maternity homes, child and youth care centres, and the homeless across all nine provinces of South Africa.
The Angel Network is built on the belief that when we come together, we can change lives. Today, we support thousands of orphaned and vulnerable children by working closely with over 150 non-profit organisations and outreach centres. With the unwavering dedication of more than 25,000 Facebook members, volunteers, and sponsors, our impact extends from Johannesburg to Durban, Cape Town, Sydney, and the USA.
We are committed to investing in children because when they are fed, safe, educated, and heard, they rise—not just for themselves but for their families and communities. The Angel Network provides a platform where anyone can make a difference, simply by being part of our community. Whether donating sleeping bags to the homeless, blankets to those facing the cold, or school backpacks and stationery to children who have gone without for too long, every act of kindness creates a ripple effect.
Some moments stay with us forever—rescuing a family from a rat-infested hole beneath a house and placing them in a fully furnished flat with rent covered for a year, giving them the chance to rebuild; meeting Beauty, a woman who selflessly feeds 80 hungry children daily with nothing but faith and community support; ensuring that hundreds of teenage girls no longer miss school due to a lack of menstrual hygiene products; and seeing the joy of over 3,000 township children receiving brand-new school shoes on Mandela Day.
As Nelson Mandela so powerfully said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.”
This is our purpose. This is The Angel Network. And together, we will continue to change lives—one act of kindness at a time.
