Open Hearts, Open Minds SA

Aim

I aim to support those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts, substance use, and other mental health issues. Open hearts, Open minds SA

Debra's story

I'm raising £20,000 for those struggling with there mental health.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page

MY Journey..

In 2009, I made the life-changing decision to leave South Africa and move to the United Kingdom. It was never an easy choice—I left behind my children and my partner, with the plan that once I had built a stable foundation, they would follow. But just two months after arriving in the UK, I was told to move on with my life.

I found myself completely alone. My children were still in South Africa, and I was in a new country, with nothing but determination to keep me going. I threw myself into work, often working 70 hours a week, all with one goal in mind: to bring my children to me. After two long years of sacrifice, they finally arrived in the UK.

Everything I did was for them. I sacrificed my own comfort, my own dreams, to give them the opportunities and life I never had. And today, when I look at them as grown adults, I know it was worth every sleepless night, every hardship. They have both broken the generational curse of poverty, and I couldn’t be more proud of the people they’ve become.

Now, as they have flown the nest and built lives of their own, I find myself dreaming again. My heart longs to return home to South Africa, to be near my aging parents, and to reconnect with the land and roots that shaped me. But my dream doesn’t stop there. I hope not only to move my life back but also to build something bigger—a non-profit to support those that are suffering in silence,to give back, and to help others rise above the struggles I know all too well.

After going through this struggle with my sister it showed me there is no where that one can go to unless you have money. I want to be able to offer hope to those that really need it. No one deserves to suffer in silence.

This is my story of sacrifice, resilience, and hope. And this is my dream: to go home, to honor my parents, and to create a legacy of giving that will live on beyond me.

This project closed unsuccessfully on 20th December 2025