PLEDGE FOR HOPE: FUNDRAISER AT THE FURY IN THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE-HOPE-OPEN-AIR-TOUR 2023

Done! The prolonged applause of over 18,000 people has given way to the quiet clatter of the last metal bars, which the roadies of Fury in the Slaughterhouse are now stowing in the van long after the concert has ended. We stack and count the last cups. “4401, wow!” Happy, proud and a bit exhausted we hand in the last cups for Ubomi. Because what the concert-goers threw into the garbage cans of the “Pledge Raising” campaign gives hope thousands of kilometres away. And that’s what the Fury Hope Tour was all about.

Afternoon of July 29, 2023, hours before: Fury rehearses one last time before going on stage. The stands of the Loreley open-air stage in St. Goarshausen are still deserted. But the anticipation for the concert is rising: Singing new and old familiar songs together with the fans, celebrating life – and being hopeful. Hope for solidarity, awareness, change. With the campaign “Hope changes everything”, Fury in the Slaughterhouse has launched a program with which the band collects donations during their open air tour and passes them on to NGOs, associations and selected aid organizations such as Ubomi.

A project that supports – and is supported: The Youth Hostels between North Sea and Sauerland have helped our Ubomi founding family Thomas Meisterknecht and Khoelka Matiwane to travel to Germany for this important event. A great reunion for all of us, once outside of Cape Town. And a very special moment, six years after the foundation of the project, which in the meantime has grown from a private initiative of good friends to a living project with great support from many dear people.

Once again, this campaign brings people together, overcomes borders and thus creates something new: so that children and young people in South Africa also have a chance of a life worth living. With love, safety, security – instead of poverty, lack of prospects and violence.

Singing for more safety: Fury in the Slaughterhouse wants to set an example

A short time later, the stands are full, people crowd in front of the stage and wait for the band. The Ubomi logo appears on a screen right at the beginning, followed by a detailed presentation of the project. “If everyone makes even a small contribution, we can make a big difference,” I hear myself say in an interview clip talking to Fury frontman Kai Wingenfelder. This short video is an incredible opportunity to reach a lot of people on a big stage. At the very latest, however, when the video of our children is shown, who recorded “Time to Wonder” in their own African style and sent it to us as a video message, it is noticeable that people are personally touched despite the masses.

Gathering hope

Together with dear friends who help to collect the many cups and answer questions about the project, I stand in the middle of the crowds and am also quite touched. Because every single cup that the concert-goers throw into the “Pledge Raising” garbage cans makes a small statement and convinces us all that hope really does change everything.

In the end, we counted more than 4400 cups. Not only we are happy about the collected money – but also 180 children in South Africa. So many children are currently being cared for and supported by Ubomi. Successful campaigns like this help us a lot and make sure that so many children get hope for a life – in xhosa translated Ubomi – and can take their future into their own hands.

Many plastic cups become a “House of Hope”

Our infant house in Egoli offers only limited space with barely 30 square meters. In this small oasis we care for 20 toddlers and 25 school children. Thanks to generous donations, we would like to expand this place to create more space and a new perspective for the children. We are currently looking for a suitable plot of land on which to build a container centre. Here the children can be cared for in age-appropriate groups, lovingly and with enough space for individual developmental opportunities.

This new ‘House of Hope’ is becoming a reality because so many people are supporting us and thus giving hope. We would like to sincerely thank everyone who supports us in such an incredible way. Without you: Fury in the Slaughterhouse, Help Alliance, Jugendherbergen zwischen Nordsee und Sauerland, Internationaler Club der Schlitzohren and so many associations, foundations and dear people who privately collect and donate for us, there would be no perspective on life for many children in the township. Your generosity and support give us the courage to continue. Together we create a future for the children in the township and give them the chance for a fulfilled life, full of love and hope.

Biggi Hägemann

(Thanks for the support of Feinschreiber)