Please support Joe’s legacy with your monthly recurring donation to The Bridge family orphanage!
For years, Joe Kanyona stood at the door of Beerhouse on Long Street. If you ever walked in, you remember him: slight, soft-spoken, always smiling. He was not the biggest man in the room, but he was the one who made you feel safe. Guests trusted him. Staff loved him. He carried a quiet dignity you do not forget.
On 20 June 2015, Joe was murdered at his post. Carte Blanche told that story here. I am not going to retell that part on this page. What matters here is who he was, not how he died.
Why this, why me
Joe left behind a baby daughter. Today she is growing up at The Bridge, a children’s home in Hout Bay. I will not share her name or her face. That is hers, to tell one day if she ever chooses to. But you should know she is there, because it is the reason I cannot look away, and the reason I am asking you not to either.
What The Bridge actually is
The Bridge is not an institution. It is a home. Laëtitia Galvaire sold her house in France, spent three years getting approved to foster in South Africa, and built a place where orphaned children are raised inside a family instead of a system. Three children live there now, with space for more and a community of people who keep showing up. There is music, art, dance, yoga, cooking, gardening, and a workshop space where the children learn and grow. It is one of the most genuinely loving places I have ever walked into.
And it runs right on the edge. Laëtitia has carried most of this herself, subsidized by her own savings, income and occasional donations from her own community. The Bridge urgently needs support from beyond its small circle to keep going. That is where we come in.
How to help
The simplest and most effective thing you can do is set up a recurring donation right here. You can donate in $USD via Paypal or ZAR. BackaBuddy keeps overheads low, so more of what you give actually reaches the children. Monthly giving is what The Bridge needs most, because it lets Laëtitia plan ahead instead of just surviving the month.
The concert
Later this year, Auriol Hays will perform a private concert inside The Bridge itself. It is a small room, around 40 to 60 people, which makes it intimate and rare. You will see the home, meet the people, and understand exactly what your support builds.
The top supporters on the leaderboard on this page will receive a complimentary invitation. The leaderboard is the only measure we use to decide who comes, so if you want to be in that room, now is the time to start. Date and details coming soon.
Larger gifts
If you are considering a gift of EUR 1,000 or more, or you would like to talk through the best way to give, contact me (Randolf Jorberg) directly. You are still welcome to give here as well to claim your place on the leaderboard. Please note: donations made through this page are tax-deductible in South Africa, contact me for tax deduction in European countries.
Why I am doing this
I built Beerhouse, where we lost Joe. I have carried that for eleven years. Days after the murder I did wear yellow for the first time and started wearing yellow every single day since then. This is not about the past or about anger. It is about love winning over fear, and about making sure a man who made strangers feel safe is remembered, by helping the home that now holds his daughter and other children who deserve exactly what he gave: the feeling of being safe, and loved.
Joe was the kind of person who made people feel safe just by being there. Always calm, always kind, always smiling. That is how I will always remember him. Help me honour him.
💛 Randolf Jorberg
