The History of U-Care

A few years ago, one of our founder members was approached at a red traffic light by a young street child begging for money. When he looked around he saw that there was a group of much older children watching and he realised that whatever he gave this small boy, it was highly unlikely that he would be able to keep any of it. This incident troubled him and he resolved to try and find a way in which he could become involved in raising money for the needy and ensure that it would actually get to those for whom it was intended. The idea on which U-Care is based came from this resolve, as can be seen from our Vision and Mission statements.

After most of 2004 was spent researching the industry and developing infrastructure and software, U-Care was finally born on 1 April 2005. U-Care's first donation was for R1 500 to the Pietermaritzburg Community Chest, and in the financial year 2005-2006 U-Care became the largest corporate donor ever to the Pietermaritzburg Community Chest, with a total for the period of R88 000.

By December 2008 U-Care had donated more than R9 000 000 to more than 200 South African charities, proving beyond a doubt that the first four years of its operation were just the beginning of great things to come. U-Care still strives to be the largest transparent charity-funding corporation distributing funds and effectively touching more lives than any other organisation in the world.

U-Care's transparency policy has dumbfounded many business professionals, as it goes against the practice of any normal profit-driven business. We at U-Care believe that our Uniqueness, Transparency and Accountability are the three most important pillars of our business:

• Uniqueness - being one of a kind and knowing that U-Care is driven by goodwill and very passionate members
• Transparency - enforcing the rule that all members must be fully informed before taking part in this noble venture
• Transparency - enforcing the rule that all members must be fully informed before taking part in this noble venture
• Accountability - Having a traceable paper trail for every cent handled, with copies of accounts posted monthly and regular audits conducted.