UD Community Matters Group leader, Thamsanqa Nkevu, started an initiative six years ago to donate stationery to students who come from impoverished backgrounds in KwaNobuhle. The group mentioned above hosted a meeting at LoveLife to discuss this and ways in which they can assist more learners going forward. The group fundraises each year to pay for school fees, school shoes, stationery, to send learners to camp and also to pay for some of the learners’ matric farewell attire. This year saw an initiative he started solo receiving help from community members.
Reflecting on this journey, Nkevu said, “Starting the initiative became very important to me because of my belief in education and the role that it plays in improving the chances of our children succeeding and surviving. Education gives our children options in life. Working closely with our schools, especially in the work that I do with our youth and children in the Bridge of Horror area, has exposed me to some of the socioeconomic challenges faced by these learners.”
He added that it all began with identifying the need to provide learners with school uniforms and proper school shoes. “Currently, we have been collecting counter books and exam pads from our community. We know about the challenges facing these learners; we come from it ourselves. We just want to make things a bit better for those coming after us,” Nkevu said.
He believes that at least 15 learners at a time are enough, as the resources they have now are sufficient for that. The beneficiaries include learners coming from Solomon Mahlangu High School, Tinara High School, and Thanduxolo Comprehensive School, just to name a few.
“It is our duty to keep these learners in school and we do everything in our power to ensure that they are able to learn and cope with their studies,” said Nkevu.
UD Community Matters Group continues to raise funds throughout the year to assist the learners, and seeks help from local businesses and community members to support them in their mission. Interested parties should contact Nkevu on 078 517 9817, as they still have more learners that they would like to assist.
