Keri's Couch: Sisters who searched for their missing mom during the floods
During the search for their mom, three sisters were so amazed and incredibly thankful for the way in which people from all over South Africa banded together to assist them!
With the floods that just took place in April 2022, it was the perfect time to reflect back on what we went through in the past.
With so many families going through more tragedy in 2022, this was a beautiful conversation on how to cope, seek help and also use your tragedy to make a difference.
It was that support that got them through the hardest time of their lives. And while these recent floods have brought this pain to the surface, they have once again witnessed the amazing generosity and solidarity of South Africans.
Watch more: R6,706,371 million to help those affected by the #KZNFloods!
They are ready to tell their story, and in doing so, continue to grow our NPO in order to offer ongoing support wherever needed.
Keri Miller sat down with the sisters to talk about their mom and what they went through during the floods of 2016.
Listen more: Keri's Couch: The life-changing, enchanting, and informative six-part series
Part 1 of the conversation on Keri's Couch:
Part 1 of the conversation on Keri's Couch:
Listen to the full episode of Keri's Couch with Brenda's K9 Fund:
THEIR BACKGROUND
On the 25 July 2016, their mom Brenda Scriven went missing during flash floods in Durban in 2016. Despite 2-weeks of extensive searching by an incredible team, her body was never found. It was during this search that they learnt of the desperate need for additional search & rescue (SAR) K9’s. They have trained handlers without K9’s, and many K9’s are due for retirement soon with no successors. One SAR K9 in the field is equivalent to having between 20 and 30 people. They are integral to search and rescue efforts.
Listen more: The difficulty of accepting that your son took his own life
WHAT THEY DO
In memory of their mom and to honour the amazing search and rescue unit, they founded our NPC – Brenda’s Canine Fund, which is primarily focused on getting more trained K9’s into the field, as well as assisting with resources and equipment for the often under-resourced SAR teams. Their secondary focus is on assisting in the field where they can, with volunteering and coordinating donations for victims of floods and other disasters. At present we are assisting with the Durban flood relief efforts – the community has really heeded the call and they have been blessed generously with donated items. However, the need for equipment (heavy duty gloves, shovels, booties etc.) on the ground has put a strain on our funds (the money they had allocated towards funding for the new K9’s has now been utilised for the current flood relief operation). They have found that the need for the teams changes hourly, and having the funds on-hand has ensured a quick turnaround time for supplying the team with much-needed goods in their time of need.
OUR FUNDING
Their NPC relies on donations and fundraising (which has been limited due to Covid). Brenda’s Canine Fund is run solely by Brenda’s three daughters (otherwise known as Brenda's Angels). Apart from accounting fees, 100% of the funds they raise go toward our initiatives – they do not draw salaries or charge running expenses to the fund.