Latest news with #EastLondon
News24
12 hours ago
- Business
- News24
‘How my gap year inspired an app that connects people with causes that matter'
During her gap year in 2022, Abigail Larsen volunteered at The King's Children's Home in East London as part of an outreach programme – and what she discovered shocked her to the core. About 50 children were living in a couple's backyard, sleeping in shipping containers because the home had reached full capacity. Despite the couple's extraordinary dedication, the home struggled with visibility and funding. It struck Abigail (now 21) that so many young people want to help but don't know where to start, while countless organisations doing vital work lack the support they need. That's when the idea for Thallo (Greek for 'to flourish') was born. It's a dynamic, youth-driven platform to connect volunteers with causes that matter. The dream began taking shape in November 2024 when Abigail, along with Mia Olivier (brand designer) and Michael Manly (app developer), entered the Hult Prize Challenge. Together, they began crafting the pitch for what would become Thallo. While volunteering across Africa and India, Abigail saw that many impactful organisations struggled with funding due to low visibility. She hopes Thallo will help solve this problem. This is her story. 'In July 2023, when I was in Mumbai, we visited an underfunded organisation caring for the dying in a crowded basement. Most patients didn't recover – they passed away with dignity. I remember thinking, 'If people only knew, they'd help. The truth is powerful, they just need to see it.' That's when I realised the world doesn't lack compassion, it lacks connection. There needs to be a platform that could create awareness about incredible organisations and give people the opportunity to partner with them to expand their impact. In Rwanda in 2023, I volunteered at Love With Actions, a school for disabled children working to break stigma. With just social media skills, I boosted their online presence and ran a successful stationery fundraiser – proof that even small efforts can make a big impact. At Durban's LIV Village, an outreach programme for vulnerable and orphaned children, I learned that, sometimes, just showing up and listening is enough. In every experience, I wished for one place to share what I'd seen, where people could discover and support these organisations. But at Kings Children's Home, the urgency hit. They were doing amazing work, yet few knew they existed. It's not just about volunteering – it's about visibility. South Africa has over 250 000 registered organisations. How many do you know? Many organisations focus so much on serving their cause that they lack the time or tools to raise awareness. Meanwhile, many young people want to help but don't know where to start. READ MORE| MY STORY | 'I found my purpose and a passion for cooking behind bars' Thallo aims to bridge that gap and make getting involved easy and rewarding by letting users follow, donate to or volunteer with organisations through their profiles. The platform will boost the visibility of organisations, helping them grow with more support, funding and volunteers. PHOTO: Supplied We've been taught to look inward for meaning, but that often leads to pressure and anxiety. In reality, serving others can lift us out of that. It gives purpose and reminds us our lives matter. Young people don't just want CV fillers. They want something real that makes them come alive. READ MORE| MY STORY | 'Olympiads and having fun are the key to my academic success' Thallo is still in its early days, and it will launch in early 2026. Turning the dream into reality has been tough. I've battled doubts about not being experienced or capable enough, especially while juggling studies as a BCom International Business student at Stellenbosch University. But I've learned to lean on God, knowing I'm not fully equipped but trusting that if He called me, He'll make a way. Making a difference begins with using what you have to love and serve those around you. As Mother Teresa said, If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.'
CTV News
15 hours ago
- CTV News
Samurai sword murderer gets life in prison for a rampage that killed a U.K. schoolboy last year
Warning: This story contains graphic details LONDON — A man armed with a samurai sword who murdered a U.K. boy on his way to school during a rampage that seriously injured five other people was sentenced Friday to life in prison. Marcus Arduini Monzo was condemned as 'wicked' by Daniel Anjorin's father, who described the agony of finding his 14-year-old son crumpled in a pool of blood outside their London home shortly after he'd left for school on April 30, 2024. 'It has been the worst nightmare experience of our lives,' Dr. Ebenezer Anjorin said during the sentencing in the Central Criminal Court. 'To have to go through the pain of losing a child in such a cruel and savage way. No family should have to go through this.' Monzo, 37, was convicted Wednesday of Anjorin's murder, along with three counts of attempted murder and one count each of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possessing a bladed article. Justice Joel Bennathan set the scene of the crime on the streets of east London, where he said people had just set out for work and children were headed to school, when Monzo plowed his van into a pedestrian and unleashed a 20-minute frenzied attack that came to an end only after police used a stun gun to immobilize him. 'That peaceful, busy scene was devastated as members of the public were attacked, police officers were gravely injured, a couple were terrified in their own home, and a clever, talented, much-loved young boy was killed by a savage blow with a sword,' Bennathan said. 'You, Marcos Arduini Monzo, did all of that.' Prosecutors said that drug use triggered the psychotic episode that turned violent when Monzo killed his cat, Wizard, after voices in his head told him the pet was sapping his energy and he needed to kill and eat it. Before he could do that, though, he said he was overcome by feeling that Armageddon was imminent and he left his home in his van for his parent's house. On the way, he rammed his car into security guard Donato Iwule, who he attacked with the sword and said he was going to kill him. He slashed the man's neck, but Iwule was able to get away. Monzo then ambushed Anjorin, who was wearing headphones, and didn't hear a neighbour warning him of the swordsman. 'We were shouting and waving towards Daniel as he came out,' Aiste Dabasinskaite said after the attack. 'It just happened right before our eyes, it was horrible.' Monzo nearly beheaded the teen with the 2-foot (60-centimetre) blade and stabbed him as he lay on the ground. When police officers arrived and tried to help the boy, Monzo sprang from bushes nearby and bolted. Constable Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield gave chase and suffered what police said were 'brutal and life-changing' injuries including a fractured skull and severe nerve damage when he lunged at her. Monzo then broke into a nearby home, where he awoke a couple who had been sleeping with their 4-year-old daughter. He shouted about believing in God and attacked the girl's father, wounding his neck and arm. In his final act of violence, he struck police Inspector Moloy Campbell once with the sword before he was subdued with a stun gun and arrested. Jurors determined Monzo was responsible for his actions after prosecutors argued that the attack was caused by his cannabis use, rather than an underlying mental health condition. Monzo, who has dual Spanish and Brazilian citizenship, said that an injury from mixed martial arts had led him on a spiritual quest and he consumed ayahuasca, a hallucinogen, and frequently smoked marijuana. Prosecutors said Monzo had an interest in violence, far-right extremism and conspiracy theories. He had shared vaccine misinformation and liked social media posts on X praising Adolf Hitler. Monzo told jurors he believed that the Earth was flat and that the 9/11 attack was 'probably' a conspiracy. He also spoke about his practice of drinking his own urine. Brian Melley, The Associated Press
Associated Press
15 hours ago
- Associated Press
Samurai sword murderer gets life in prison for a rampage that killed a London schoolboy last year
LONDON (AP) — A man armed with a samurai sword who murdered a London boy on his way to school during a rampage that seriously injured five other people was sentenced Friday to life in prison. Marcus Arduini Monzo was condemned as 'wicked' by Daniel Anjorin's father, who described the agony of finding his 14-year-old son crumpled in a pool of blood outside their home shortly after he'd left for school on April 30, 2024. 'It has been the worst nightmare experience of our lives,' Dr. Ebenezer Anjorin said during the sentencing in the Central Criminal Court. 'To have to go through the pain of losing a child in such a cruel and savage way. No family should have to go through this.' Monzo, 37, was convicted Wednesday of Anjorin's murder, along with three counts of attempted murder and one count each of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possessing a bladed article. Justice Joel Bennathan set the scene of the crime on the streets of east London, where he said people had just set out for work and children were headed to school, when Monzo plowed his van into a pedestrian and unleashed a 20-minute frenzied attack that came to an end only after police used a stun gun to immobilize him. 'That peaceful, busy scene was devastated as members of the public were attacked, police officers were gravely injured, a couple were terrified in their own home, and a clever, talented, much-loved young boy was killed by a savage blow with a sword,' Bennathan said. 'You, Marcos Arduini Monzo, did all of that.' Prosecutors said that drug use triggered the psychotic episode that turned violent when Monzo killed his cat, Wizard, after voices in his head told him the pet was sapping his energy and he needed to kill and eat it. Before he could do that, though, he said he was overcome by feeling that Armageddon was imminent and he left his home in his van for his parent's house. On the way, he rammed his car into security guard Donato Iwule, who he attacked with the sword and said he was going to kill him. He slashed the man's neck, but Iwule was able to get away. Monzo then ambushed Anjorin, who was wearing headphones, and didn't hear a neighbor warning him of the swordsman. 'We were shouting and waving towards Daniel as he came out,' Aiste Dabasinskaite said after the attack. 'It just happened right before our eyes, it was horrible.' Monzo nearly beheaded the teen with the 2-foot (60-centimeter) blade and stabbed him as he lay on the ground. When police officers arrived and tried to help the boy, Monzo sprang from bushes nearby and bolted. Constable Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield gave chase and suffered what police said were 'brutal and life-changing' injuries including a fractured skull and severe nerve damage when he lunged at her. Monzo then broke into a nearby home, where he awoke a couple who had been sleeping with their 4-year-old daughter. He shouted about believing in God and attacked the girl's father, wounding his neck and arm. In his final act of violence, he struck police Inspector Moloy Campbell once with the sword before he was subdued with a stun gun and arrested. Jurors determined Monzo was responsible for his actions after prosecutors argued that the attack was caused by his cannabis use, rather than an underlying mental health condition. Monzo, who has dual Spanish and Brazilian citizenship, said that an injury from mixed martial arts had led him on a spiritual quest and he consumed ayahuasca, a hallucinogen, and frequently smoked marijuana. Prosecutors said Monzo had an interest in violence, far-right extremism and conspiracy theories. He had shared vaccine misinformation and liked social media posts on X praising Adolf Hitler. Monzo told jurors he believed that the Earth was flat and that the 9/11 attack was 'probably' a conspiracy. He also spoke about his practice of drinking his own urine.
The Independent
15 hours ago
- The Independent
Samurai sword murderer gets life in prison for a rampage that killed a London schoolboy last year
A man armed with a samurai sword who murdered a London boy on his way to school during a rampage that seriously injured five other people was sentenced Friday to life in prison. Marcus Arduini Monzo was condemned as 'wicked' by Daniel Anjorin's father, who described the agony of finding his 14-year-old son crumpled in a pool of blood outside their home shortly after he'd left for school on April 30, 2024. 'It has been the worst nightmare experience of our lives," Dr. Ebenezer Anjorin said during the sentencing in the Central Criminal Court. "To have to go through the pain of losing a child in such a cruel and savage way. No family should have to go through this.' Monzo, 37, was convicted Wednesday of Anjorin's murder, along with three counts of attempted murder and one count each of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possessing a bladed article. Justice Joel Bennathan set the scene of the crime on the streets of east London, where he said people had just set out for work and children were headed to school, when Monzo plowed his van into a pedestrian and unleashed a 20-minute frenzied attack that came to an end only after police used a stun gun to immobilize him. 'That peaceful, busy scene was devastated as members of the public were attacked, police officers were gravely injured, a couple were terrified in their own home, and a clever, talented, much-loved young boy was killed by a savage blow with a sword," Bennathan said. "You, Marcos Arduini Monzo, did all of that.' Prosecutors said that drug use triggered the psychotic episode that turned violent when Monzo killed his cat, Wizard, after voices in his head told him the pet was sapping his energy and he needed to kill and eat it. Before he could do that, though, he said he was overcome by feeling that Armageddon was imminent and he left his home in his van for his parent's house. On the way, he rammed his car into security guard Donato Iwule, who he attacked with the sword and said he was going to kill him. He slashed the man's neck, but Iwule was able to get away. Monzo then ambushed Anjorin, who was wearing headphones, and didn't hear a neighbor warning him of the swordsman. 'We were shouting and waving towards Daniel as he came out,' Aiste Dabasinskaite said after the attack. 'It just happened right before our eyes, it was horrible.' Monzo nearly beheaded the teen with the 2-foot (60-centimeter) blade and stabbed him as he lay on the ground. When police officers arrived and tried to help the boy, Monzo sprang from bushes nearby and bolted. Constable Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield gave chase and suffered what police said were 'brutal and life-changing' injuries including a fractured skull and severe nerve damage when he lunged at her. Monzo then broke into a nearby home, where he awoke a couple who had been sleeping with their 4-year-old daughter. He shouted about believing in God and attacked the girl's father, wounding his neck and arm. In his final act of violence, he struck police Inspector Moloy Campbell once with the sword before he was subdued with a stun gun and arrested. Jurors determined Monzo was responsible for his actions after prosecutors argued that the attack was caused by his cannabis use, rather than an underlying mental health condition. Monzo, who has dual Spanish and Brazilian citizenship, said that an injury from mixed martial arts had led him on a spiritual quest and he consumed ayahuasca, a hallucinogen, and frequently smoked marijuana. Prosecutors said Monzo had an interest in violence, far-right extremism and conspiracy theories. He had shared vaccine misinformation and liked social media posts on X praising Adolf Hitler. Monzo told jurors he believed that the Earth was flat and that the 9/11 attack was 'probably' a conspiracy. He also spoke about his practice of drinking his own urine.
Daily Mail
20 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Father reveals devastating moment he found his son dead in the street after he was brutally hacked to death by Samurai swordsman
The father of a schoolboy murdered during a 20-minute samurai sword rampage has described the devastating moment he found his son fatally injured as he laid bare his family's 'pain and anguish'. Daniel Anjorin, 14, was cut down as he was walking to school by drug-crazed Marcus Monzo, 37, who believed he was an assassin from a Hollywood film, leaving four others injured. High on cannabis which 'led to a psychotic disorder', the Brazilian shouted 'Does anyone believe in God' as he attacked four strangers after 'chopping' Daniel to death in Hainault, East London. Dr Ebenezer Anjorin, Daniel's father, spoke of the grief which had ripped his family apart in a victim impact statement read at Monzo's sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey today. In a statement read to the court by prosecutor Tom Little KC, he said: 'On April 20 at approximately 7am Daniel left for school. At approximately 7.15am I was informed by my son that Daniel had been stabbed on the road near our house. 'I ran outside of the house and as I ran across the road I saw a hunched-up body. I didn't realise it was Daniel at first. 'He was lying in a pool of blood with a large cut to his face. He was motionless. At once I knew he was dead.' Dr Anjorin said he rang his wife to tell her what had happened and saw her collapse screaming as she saw paramedics treating her son. They were then told by the paramedic that their son's condition was critical and he was unlikely to survive. 'I cannot begin to describe the pain and anguish we as a family feel at the loss of Daniel,' he said. He described Daniel as a talented student who had recently been chosen as part of a select group to visit Cambridge University to learn about the application process. Dr Anjorin described his family's devastation that they will never be able to see Daniel grow up when he had 'so much potential to excel in so many areas'. 'All these hopes and aspirations have been snatched away from us,' he said. 'The situation is something we wouldn't wish on anyone - it is the worst experience of our lives.' The Old Bailey heard the amateur musician believed he was a character from The Hunger Games, in which contestants fight to the death on a TV show. A jury this week found him guilty of murder, attempted murder, aggravated burglary by entering a property with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, wounding with intent and having an article with a blade. Monzo began his rampage around 6.45am on April 30 last year using a van to mow down his first victim, Donald Iwule, who was walking to work when he was hit and catapulted into a nearby garden. Jurors were shown CCTV of Mr Iwule screaming in agony shouting: 'I don't know you' as Monzo approached on foot wielding the 60cm blade. The Brazilian replied: 'I don't care, I will kill you' as he swung towards the victim's neck and torso before Mr Iwule managed to escape. Monzo then encountered schoolboy Daniel. Mr Little, KC, previously told the court: 'He was simply walking to school, minding his own business, looking forward to the day ahead. His life was snuffed out in an instant. In fact, most accurately, he was slain by the defendant.' Monzo was said to have 'moved quickly like a predator behind Daniel. He lifted the sword above his head, swung it downwards towards Daniel's head and neck area. Daniel instantly fell to the ground.' The attack was described as a 'near decapitation'. In mobile phone footage a woman can be heard saying: 'F***, he just killed that boy, he just killed him right outside my house.' A female police officer, Yasim Mechem-Whitfield, pursued Monzo through a series of alleyways before he launched a 'ferocious attack', striking her three times. He then charged into a nearby house and attacked a couple in their bedroom, but their lives were spared when their four-year-old daughter woke up and started crying. Monzo's rampage only ended when he was surrounded by officers in a garage area and tasered. Another officer who was injured as he ran to confront Monzo said today that there was 'no time for fear' because lives were on the line. Before Mr Campbell's arrival on the morning of April 30 last year, Monzo had already repeatedly struck Pc Mechem-Whitfield with a samurai sword and was still on the loose. Inspector Moloy Campbell - who was in court to see Monzo sentenced said in an interview ahead of the hearing: 'As we were heading to the incident my sergeant was driving and I was in the operator seat. 'As we heard that transmission 'police officer stabbed, police officer stabbed' I turned to him and said: 'Just get us there, don't speed up, don't let red mist get to you. We need to get there and get control of this incident'.' He added: 'There was no time for fear. That is not a reflection of bravery of me or anyone else, it's a fact, there was no time for that. The killer's sword got so close to slashing Inspector Moloy Campbell's chest that he cut off part of his body-word camera after he blocked the katana with his police-issue baton 'There is a job to be done and there was an objective that needed to be met and that was, as I say, the preservation of life.' Mr Little said it was a 'miracle' that more people were not killed that day. Another victim, Henry Polania, came face to face with Monzo in his bedroom after the killer broke into his home. He believes Monzo only spared their lives because his terrified four-year-old daughter began to cry. Speaking about the moment he was confronted with the drug-crazed killer, Mr Polania told Sky News: 'He grabbed the sword with both of his hands and went backwards with such force and tried to cut the head off my wife. 'I was like I can't let this happen. In my mind, I was like, I can't let this happen. So I just tried to stop him. 'I pulled my hands towards the blade and stop him. I tried to push the blade, but I couldn't because it was too quick. How can I explain? It was like, that's it. 'I looked at my hand and it was all open. You could see my bones. I was bleeding, at the moment I thought oh my God, this is not a dream, this is real life. He's going to kill us.' Speaking to the BBC, he continued: 'My little one started crying after she woke up, 'Mama, Papa!' I just started crying. 'And then Monzo done two steps back because he wasn't expecting the little one in the room. 'And he just pointed the katana towards my little one's face and then to Carolina and then to me. 'And he said: 'I'm just going to let you live, because of your little one.' And he left.'
