Officials from the Eastern Cape Liquor Board (ECLB) handed over groceries and school uniforms to the Gqobhoka family at Nohokoza locality in Libode, last week.
According to the ECLB chief executive officer (CEO), Dr Nombuyiselo Makala, they were told about this family’s situation when they hosted a Back to School campaign at Chief Henry Bokleni (CHB) Senior Secondary School in Libode in January.
Makala said she was touched by the situation of one of the children in the family, a Grade 12 learner at CHB, who did not have a school uniform. Makala said that the ECLB have programmes, which include educating young children about under-age drinking, and also Back to School campaigns they host at the beginning of the year.
“One of the schools that we visited this year was CHB. We handed over shoes and sanitary towels. We were then told about a Grade 12 learner who was struggling because she is coming from a less fortunate family,” said Makala.
She added that she decided to assist, but when she was preparing to do that, she was told that all five children from this family did not have uniforms.
According to Makala, they decided to buy uniforms for all the children, using funds from their Corporate Social Investment (CSI) budget.
“We know that if the learners do not have uniform, it is easy for them to drop out from school. We also bought food for the family that will last for one or two months.”
Mayor of Nyandeni Local Municipality, Councillor Viwe Ndamase, said that they are always willing to assist learners from poor families who want to go to tertiary institutions, but the challenge is that these learners are unknown to the municipality. Ndamase added that around November and December they send their teams to the local areas, because they understand that some of the children do not have money to travel to Libode to apply to tertiary institutions.
“At the Special Programmes Unit (SPU) we are working with the council manager, Councillor Lazola Ndamase, to come to these areas, so that learners like this can be captured, in order for us to assist them in applying for NSFAS,” said Ndamase.
According to him, that is why they need partnerships. He stated that they were happy that they have partnered with ECLB, and they see the outcomes. He confirmed that the Department of Social Development do have these programmes of assisting learners, but the main problem is limited resources.
“We always invite stakeholders and people who have money to come and help us. Some of the uniforms that we donate we get from business owners. Some of them are not even doing business locally.
The grandmother of the beneficiaries, Khululwa Gqiza, said she was very happy and was speechless because she never thought that there were people who would assist them.
“No-one is working in our home; we are struggling but what ECLB did for us is very big and I have no words that I can use to thank them. I am speechless,” said Gqiza.
