It has happened yet again, another African tragedy with more than 250 dead, 2000 wounded with varying degrees of severity including burns, mandatory amputations and major trauma.

Some think it's an urban legend that all bread tags collected in boxes across the Cape Peninsula and further afield go to a granny in Noordhoek, who provides wheelchairs to the needy.

Gift of the Givers has just been granted permission to set up base, medical teams, equipment and supplies at Banadir Hospital, the largest hospital in Mogadishu (the largest city in Somalia) where thousands of patients are flocking to from various refugee camps in and around Mogadishu and the South, and are in desperate need of life saving medical assistance.

Looking after the earth and vulnerable people at the same time always creates a beautifully holistic project, which simply makes total sense. Hence many townships now have initiatives where folk can bring recyclable waste to a central place and receive much needed items, food or money in exchange.

South Africa's Ubuntu Spirit knows no bounds. We are indeed making an emphatic continental statement that Africa is coming to the aid of Africans unreservedly. The power is not in the proclamation but in the execution: being the first African agency and the only agency in the world to fly 6 planes into Mogadishu in a two week period delivering 112 tons of aid, gave a very good feel being South African.

The people of Japan are still struggling to recover from the record breaking earthquake and tsunami that hit over there last week Friday. Thousands of people are dead and many more are still missing or injured.

Wow - that was a serious fund-raising job, my hand has almost recovered from writing out all those ticket stubs over the last few months.  Shyann and I have spent almost every sunny day since early July sitting at our local restaurant filling out your tickets, with a little help from some of the locals.

A little over a year ago I applied to SA Guide Dogs for a service dog. I was a little nervous, as I knew it was going to be a big change in my life.