Heart Stickers Are Changing Lives on Cape Town’s Streets

A Cape Town project that uses love as its currency is creating support for the city’s needy…and it all starts with a little heart sticker! Cape Town, South Africa... The post Heart Stickers Are Changing Lives on Cape Town’s Streets appeared first on Good Things Guy.

Jun 2, 2026 - 09:45

Heart Stickers Are Changing Lives on Cape Town’s Streets

A Cape Town project that uses love as its currency is creating support for the city’s needy…and it all starts with a little heart sticker!

Cape Town, South Africa (02 June 2026) – If you’ve spotted a small heart sticker on a lamp pole around the Mother City, or bought one from someone at a traffic light, you’ve already crossed paths with The Secret Love Project.

It all began over a decade ago as an urban art project, conceived by artist Michael Elion for Cape Town’s World Design Capital year. The idea was to place heart shapes throughout the city to shift how people feel about the space around them, and in turn, how they treat each other.

By 2018, it had grown into a registered charity. Today, it supports hundreds of vulnerable and homeless people living on the streets of Cape Town!

It’s a beautifully simple but impactful process. The Secret Love Project produces heart-shaped sticker packs and distributes them to sellers – people from all walks of life who are in need – for free, with the cost covered by donations from individuals and corporate partners.

These sellers then take those packs to street corners across the city and sell them for R20 a pack, keeping every cent for themselves. The only two conditions are that sellers are well-mannered and never under the influence while selling.

“Every sticker pack purchased helps create income opportunities for those selling them, allowing them to earn with dignity while sharing messages of hope and connection throughout our communities.” the organisation shares.

Sellers can join the project and collect their earnings made on Snapscan by showing up at one of the project’s Friday collection points, which run from the CBD all the way through to Claremont, Fish Hoek, Simon’s Town, Redhill and Scarborough.

By selling hearts instead of begging, a sense of dignity, responsibility and connection is restored and by the end of the interaction, more love has been created in the world.

The project does incredible work. According to The Secret Love Project’s website, more than 20 new sellers join the programme every single month, and over 640 jobs have been created for previously unemployed people. More than 20,000 heart sticker packs go out across the city every month!

“Using love as our currency, we invite anyone and everyone to join us in our mission to make the world a better place. Whether you need help or are able to help, The Secret Love Project is a community collaboration that enables people of all walks of life to contribute to building a better and more inclusive society. Adding compassion to the fabric of city life makes Cape Town a happier, healthier, safer and more beautiful place to be.”

In Cape Town, a small heart-shaped sticker is creating the greatest ripple effects. The next time you spot a stranger with a ‘LOVE’ stickers board, you’ll know your R20 would be going a long way.