A GROUP of hikers on a trail in Lusikisiki came bearing gifts for a destitute family in Mbotyi Locality, where the hikers donated groceries and clothing for the whole family on June 16.
The donation, made by 47 hikers under Nzuzoyethu Projects, came after the organisation’s founder, Sibongiseni Sidelo, was moved by the poor conditions the family lived under, while in the area preparing for the hiking trail in May this year.
The family, made up of husband, wife and two children aged 3 and 2, currently rely on the child support grants of their children for survival.
Their living conditions are also not ideal, as they currently live in a single room mud structure.
“We always strive to help where we can wherever we take our hiking trails, and our focus has always been donating to schools where we take our hiking trails. This time I was really touched by the desperate conditions the family lives under and immediately called on hikers to bring something that we can donate to the family, and the response was positive,” said Sidelo.
He further said they are currently engaging individuals and the private sector to partner with them in ensuring that the Gologo family gets a decent house.
The Nzuzoyethu Project was founded in 2021 in Coffee Bay under the King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) Local Municipality, targeting students at the KSD TVET College’s Mapuzi Campus, to use hiking and sightseeing as a deterrent from substance abuse.
Sidelo says that the organisation has grown and currently has 147 active members of different ages who partake in hiking trails, not only for fun but as a form of therapy and healing for many of their members.
The Lusikisiki hiking trail was the fifth trail organised by Nzuzoyethu Projects since its formation.
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