Martin personally supports two charities namely the Starfish

Greathearts Foundation and the Heatherdale Children's Home.

Through his MonaVie distribution business he also contributes

towards The MORE Project.

Starfish Greathearts Foundation

Starfish Greathearts Foundation is an international development charity, aiming to bring

life, hope and opportunity to children in South Africa, who have been orphaned or

made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS.

Starfish is the response of a global community of people on a passionate quest to

change perspectives, beliefs and ultimately outcomes for the growing number of

orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa.

Starfish seeks to inspire individuals around the world to take positive action against the

tragedy of children orphaned or made vulnerable by this crisis. In the last seven years,

thousands of people across the globe have embraced the Starfish vision, contributing

to the community based care that is now providing for over 36,000 children in South

Africa.

Inspiration

An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach. One day, as he looked

along the shore, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. As he came closer he

saw that it was a young woman and she was not dancing but was reaching down

to the sand, picking up starfish and very gently throwing them into the ocean.

"Young lady," he asked, "Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

"The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in they will die."

"But young lady, do you not realise that there are miles and miles of beach and

starfish all along it? You cannot possibly make a difference."

The young woman listened politely, paused and then bent down, picked up

another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves, saying:

"It made a big difference to that one."

 Adapted from the story "The Star Thrower" by Loren Eiseley

Heatherdale Childrens Home

Heatherdale Childrens Home in Athlone, Western Cape is one of the children's homes

started by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa. Thanks to the vision of the late

Rev. and Mrs. Mason, it was started in an old farmhouse on a spacious piece of

ground made available to the church by the late Rev. T.E. March in 1929.

Initially the home catered for orphaned girls and girls in need of care. 

As time went by the needs of the community changed in such a way that a

greater emphasis was placed on the needs of all children at risk. During this

time, the home has seen many changes thanks to the tireless efforts of many

dedicated workers and volunteers. Currently the home caters for 60 children

(30 boys and 30 girls). These childrens ages' range from two to eighteen years old.

They have been placed in the home through the Children's Court.

They admit those whose lives have been traumatised and disrupted by one or other

social problems. The little ones attend a crèche while the rest are at primary and high

schools in the area. The pupils have met with various degrees of success at their

respective schools over the years. One of the ex-residents, Nina Plaatjies, recently

graduated from the University of Cape Town - B.A (Social Work).

The children are actively involved in sport (softball, soccer, volleyball and karate).

The softball team won the knockout final of their division - quite an achievement if

one considers that it happened in only their second season of playing softball. They

also partake in other cultural activities such as Youth fellowship, camps and outings

arranged by the staff, youth groups, churches and other organisations in the community.

While attending to their physical needs, the programme also strives to build and

develop the children spiritually and emotionally. Their spiritual support is of

paramount importance and they always strive to maintain a high standard

in that respect.

The MORE Project (through MonaVie)

The MORE Project seeks to change lives and restore families living in poverty in Brazil.

MORE adheres to a philosophy of love and compassion to support those whom society

has left behind. MORE focus on providing individuals with skills, resources, and support

so they can free themselves and their families forever from the cycle of poverty

and begin new lives filled with hope, health, and dignity.

The name of the project, MORE, reflects the vision and commitment to continuously

do more to end the suffering of those in need in Brazil. Further, we are committed to

loving, supporting, and educating more and more individuals so they can do more with

their own lives. They do this by providing critical resources, such as nutritious food and

safe shelter to end their suffering; and loving support and educational training to help

them and their families create a thriving future.