New Beginnings – A lifelong dream come true
New Beginnings was born out of someone taking a step of faith and deciding to follow her dreams.
New Beginnings was born out of someone taking a step of faith and deciding to follow her dreams of helping animals.
In 2012, animal lover Emain Fourie sold her business of eight years to pursue her lifelong dream. Emain had always had a passion for helping people and animals and decided to let that passion blossom into something real. Her motto has always been that dreams were made to become a reality if you work for it! In 2013, New Beginnings was officially registered as a non-profit organisation, of which Emain is president.
The organisation focuses on areas around Bloemfontein, and in 2014, the team decided it was time to build their own rescue centre where they could rescue and rehabilitate animals and run all their projects. After a few property deals not working out, they discovered the perfect place at Roodewaal Smallholdings, 30 minutes outside Bloemfontein. Now understanding why those first deals hadn’t worked out, Emain says that God’s grace led them to their ideal rescue centre in March 2014.
Their then “all-ladies team”, together with some angels who helped with construction, worked day and night to get everything done. The ladies did everything they could themselves – from drilling holes to building their own furniture! The place needed a serious makeover and fixing, and that’s exactly what they did. In June that same year, they had their grand opening.
Today, 10 years later, they are stronger than ever. They have since then developed and expanded the New Beginnings Rescue Centre, as well as their projects.
They now have a beautiful kids’ party venue at the centre, complete with petting zoo to teach children about animals. They recently started with horse rescue at other premises in Bainsvlei, and they aim to add horse therapy in time. New Beginnings also hosts gospel outreaches and works in the rural areas weekly to create a better future for people and animals in need.
Being the change
New Beginnings’ primary objective is to BE the change they want to see in their community. Through difficult times, blood, sweat and tears, Emain and vice-presidents Natalie Kotze and Veronica Venter have stuck together and, today, they’re proud to say that New Beginnings Rescue Centre has rescued and rehabilitated over 1500 abused animals since 2014.
Together with the most amazing team of 40 people consisting of employees, members and volunteers who all work extremely hard, New Beginnings is making a lasting difference in their community.
The main focus is on animals that stood no chance in life – the broken souls, the misunderstood ones, the abused and neglected animals. The team works in areas few people are willing to go, alleviating suffering by providing the animals with kennels, food, bowls and medical assistance. Chain and wire collars are replaced by those made of leather, and education is provided to pet owners. Sterilisation campaigns are also run, since New Beginnings knows that the only way to end the suffering is to prevent unwanted litters in an already overpopulated world and educate the future generation.
New Beginnings’ motto is that, at the end of every leash is a human being and that everyone should be treated with respect and given a helping hand.
Many other projects are managed from the New Beginnings Rescue Centre, including assisting people and children in less privileged areas or orphanages with things like food and school supplies, hosting gospel outreaches, visiting schools, companies and hospitals with their mascot, Roo – all with the aim of bringing long-term positive change.
New Beginnings has strong values and systems and follows a self-built structure, since they believe that animal welfare and any NPO should be managed in excellence and as a business. Their rescue centre is proof of their passion, hard work and excellence – it’s a true haven for rescued animals, where new beginnings are provided on a daily basis.
You can help!
For more details on New Beginnings and the work they do and how you can help, email info@newbeginningscharity.co.za, phone 072 636 6663, and follow them on Facebook at “New Beginnings”. Or check out any of their other social media pages on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube!
You’ll also find everything you need to know about New Beginnings on their newly updated website!
