Three Years of Sustainable Progress: Giving Back for our Birthday & Mandela Month

At Acumen Software we are grateful to mark three years of dedication and hard work to building a platform that aims to enhance our community. We wouldn't be here without the support of our community, and as such, for our birthday, we made the decision to give back by donating blankets to Heartlands Baby Sanctuary.

At the sanctuary we were greeted by Sylvia Kotze (Housekeeping Supervisor) and Nikki Bower (Manager of Sustainability, Marketing and Events), who graciously gave us a tour of their remarkable facility and shared with us their mission and values.

Heartlands Baby Sanctuary, based in the Western Cape, is a temporary residential safe care facility for 25 children at any given time. They take care of children ranging from birth to six years of age. By maintaining a smaller number of children, they ensure the ability to provide each child with specially curated and the personalised care needed to positively impact their future. This focused approach allows them to provide a highly detailed level of attention that a larger group may not facilitate.

At My Smart City, we too share the belief that small, focused actions can lead to substantial impacts. By addressing 20% of the issues affecting 80% of the population we can positively impact the future of our country.

At the sanctuary, we were reminded of the importance of sustainable living, which remains a focal point for improvement for many organisations. With their own farm, boasting several chickens and ducks, citrus trees, a seasonal rotating vegetable patch and an impressive hydroponics lab the sanctuary strives towards self-sustainability. Through the contribution and efforts of the community these sustainability projects have flourished over the last four years.

The food grown on their farm and eggs collected from their birds all go towards cooking healthy meals for the children. Any excess is sold to organic food shops and any organic waste is used for fertiliser on the farm. They are currently planning to use the fruits and vegetables grown in the hydroponics lab to open an organic shop of their own, therefore creating a business where all proceeds go to improving their facilities. Currently they raise additional funds through their bookshop and boutique thrift store.

Promoting sustainable living is key to us at My Smart City. As smart city initiatives around the world strive towards making urban environments more inclusive, safe, and resilient, they focus on reducing carbon footprints, addressing food scarcity, and boosting economic growth while ensuring access to affordable, reliable clean energy. Sustainability is at the forefront of global development, as per the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We commend and support the efforts of Heartlands Baby Sanctuary as they work towards achieving these goals within their organisation.

The My Smart City team hopes to continue our own mission of uplifting our communities through connecting our users to their cities and to each other. Going forward, we are excited to grow our platform and are excited for what the future holds - for both My Smart City, and South Africa.

Thank you to Heartlands for making a difference and thank you to our users for allowing us to make a difference. May we celebrate many more birthdays, where we can continue to give back, and create a brighter, more connected future for South Africa!