FOR most typical teenage girls, one would expect their conversation to revolve around hair, make-up and, yes, boys, but this 17-year- old from Nelson Mandela Bay has been thinking extensively about ways of improving her community and the world for the better.
Taboka Ndhlovu, head girl at Pearson High School, is also putting her thinking into action.
She will be using her upcoming 18th birthday, on September 29, as an opportunity to launch an initiative called, The 18th Wish, whereby she’ll be visiting 18 charities around the metro to make donations and lend an extra hand where needed.
This bubbly young girl said that 2020 had opened her eyes to the inequalities and challenges that the world was facing.
“When people from all over the world volunteered in different ways to assist hospitals or took to social media to donate to and support anti-gender-based violence and Black Lives Matter [campaigns], I started asking myself what I could do to enter adulthood in a selfless manner.
“I think most of us have a dream or desire to improve the world, but we sometimes feel that we’re too young or that our gesture or manner to do so is not big enough to make a difference.
“That is why I wanted to try to change what it means to be 18 years old and becoming an adult.
“It is not just about being legal and going out for drinks but also means that growing up is trying to change and improve our communities and the world,” she said.
“When I discovered just how badly the pandemic had affected a lot of dependent communities in Port Elizabeth, I did some research on the basic necessities for these communities and decided that I would use my ‘birthday budget’ and savings to try to get these items to these places.
“I realised that it would be really nice to involve my friends, school and people in my community,” she added.
Some of the charities on Ndhlovu’s list include Isithembiso Babies’ Home, Dora Nginza maternity ward, SOS Children’s Village, the street dwellers at robots across the metro and many others.
She has made an appeal to residents of the metro to help with her cause by donating any item that they can spare.
The basic necessities for these dependent communities are currently: clothing (old or new), sanitary items, baby clothes and other baby items, books, stationery, masks, sanitisers, blankets, uniforms, toys, dog and cat food, non-perishable foods and coffee jars that will be filled with rice, soup mix, lentils, a stock cube and powder for a filling meal.
Ndhlovu said she’d already made great progress.
“Pearson [High School] has been a huge support.
“My teachers, the learners and a lot of my friends have been helping out a lot.
“My family has also been a huge support by helping me send professional e-mails, checking if my posters are good and helping me clean and sort the clothes.
“A few companies such as Isuzu and Acres SPAR, my running club, Crusaders and the Rotary Club have also reached out.”
She initially planned to place boxes in shopping malls for drop-offs, but the spike in COVID-19 cases posed a great risk.
Those interested in donating or getting involved with the project in any other way, can contact Ndhlovu directly on social media, using the Instagram handle, @the_t_and_tea. She can also be reached via e-mail at: thetandtea@gmail.com.
Although she’ll only turn 18 years old once, Ndhlovu doesn’t want with this initiative to be a once-off project. “I really want to try to do something like this for each ‘big’ birthday and see if I can make it bigger each time around.”
