"Share With My Family": Teen Wernand's GoFundMe Raises Over R2 Million After Viral BI Phakathi Video

• BI Phakathi and American charity founder Logan Mayberry launched a GoFundMe after discovering 14-year-old Wernand's devastating living conditions
• The teenager had been collecting scrap metal to support his family, who lived in a roofless structure with no running water or electricity
• The campaign has already raised over R 2 million, and the video update shows a remarkable change in the family's circumstances

A 14-year-old South African boy named Wernand has become the face of an extraordinary outpouring of global generosity after his story reached millions of people online.

As reported by Briefly News, the teenager first appeared in a video by BI Phakathi, a South African motivational speaker and anonymous philanthropist known for filming acts of kindness, who encountered Wernand trying to sell a scrap tyre to buy bread. Phakathi gave him money for food, but when the team returned to the same spot two days later, they found the boy back at work, sifting through a junkyard for cans and metal to sell at a recycling facility.

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What came next shocked everyone. Wernand invited the team to his home, where his mother was caring for a newborn baby in a structure with large sections of the roof missing, no flooring in parts, no electricity, and no running water. The teenager shared that he had spent nine years in an orphanage before experiencing homelessness, having survived by scavenging through waste since the age of ten.

Wernand's GoFundMe breaks $128,000

Following the viral response to the footage, American charity founder Logan Mayberry launched a GoFundMe campaign targeting $150,000 to help Wernand's family access safe housing, school fees, food, and essential resources. The campaign has raised over $128,000, equivalent to more than R2 million, with donations still coming in.

A follow-up video shows the family has since moved into a proper home, fully stocked with groceries and supplies. In the latest clip, Wernand reflects on generosity and the lessons his grandmother passed on to him.

"I have because I give, and I give because I have," he said. "The more good you put out, the more good you get back. It might not be from the same source, but it comes in unfamiliar ways."

South Africans react to Wernand's transformation

Viewers flooded the comments on BI Phakathi's Facebook page with messages of relief and joy:

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@Jaco Steyn wrote:

"Are they now out of that broken building at least? Looks like they're doing better. I'm so glad for them 🙏🏻🙏🏻"

@Step Hen said:

"Wow, what a difference. The GoFundMe has raised almost 130k! I'm excited to see their new house."

@Letty Babo added:

"I see now today that there's change in the family from last time 🙏🙏. God bless you, Mr Phakathi 🙏"

@Ugie Franks commented:

"This guy should be a movie star."

@Hanlie Grove wrote:

"He is such a beautiful boy, what on earth happened to his hair?"

Despite everything he has been through, Wernand's message remains grounded in gratitude. "Treat everybody as you want to be treated," he said. "Even if you don't have it, if you feel in your heart you're supposed to give, just do it anyway, and it'll come back."

Watch the full Facebook clip below:

More on acts of kindness

• Briefly News recently reported on a Cape Town petrol attendant who became a local hero after helping a pregnant woman safely deliver her baby right at his workstation.
• Two American men shared the remarkable two-month transformation of a homeless man they took in and helped rebuild his life from scratch.
• Meanwhile, the Black Coffee Foundation brought hope to hundreds of Alexandra pupils through a vision and dental care initiative aimed at removing barriers to their education.

Source: Briefly News