New party changing SA by encouraging acts of random kindness

8 Aug 2016

Amidst the election buzz over the last few weeks, a new party has been campaigning for votes - the Kindness Party (KP). Their manifesto is embodied in a small yellow plastic charity box called an ARK - an acronym for "Acts of Random Kindness." Over the past two years, the party has distributed close to half a million ARKs that people can fill up with money before giving them to someone in need or a charity of their choice.

Although the Kindness Party is not formally registered with the IEC, it has had election posters up in numerous street poles throughout Gauteng, alongside the posters punting the ANC, DA, EFF and others, with the bold headline, “Vote for Kindness”. Its manifesto is clear: If negative actions create negative energy then positive actions create positive energy, and by filling all of South Africa with positive energy we can impact hugely on the nature of the society for the good of all.

Celebrities from all walks of life have endorsed the ARK project, including Bafana Bafana captain Dean Furman.

The Kindness Party is headed by Rabbi David Masinter - director of Chabad House - and driven by the annual fundraising event called Miracle Drive. “Putting aside all our political differences,” says Masinter, “there is one thing that most South Africans can agree on - that everyone should increase their acts of goodness and kindness.”

ARK is a comprehensive programme that has been devised for people ranging from school children all the way through to senior citizens, with the aim of getting the entire country to increase in acts of goodness and kindness. Throughout the year, companies have been approached to do a “Change Our Company For Good” day, where ARKs are distributed by the CEO to the employee.

Rabbi David Masinter with ARKs

On voting day, polling booths were set up at Hyde Park Corner and thousands of arks were distributed. Rabbi Masinter emphasises that the ARK project is not a fundraiser for any particular organisation, and Chabad will not take the ARKs back, but wants them all to be distributed to needy people or charities as part of the campaign to increase kindness and goodness in the world.

According to Tarryn Horton, project manager, there are plans to take the ARK project to even greater heights in the future, beyond South Africa’s borders into the world at large. There is an urgent need for people everywhere to increase kindness and inject more positivity into human affairs. “That way,” says Masinter, “the whole world can be changed for good.”