Two Nelson Mandela Bay women from different walks of life, each battling their own personal traumas, have stepped up to bring dignity to pupils before the 2025 academic year.
Lungelwa Magqamfana and Elizabeth Schemper each started an initiative to ensure that as many children as possible in their communities have a pair of school shoes, stationery and full bellies.
Magqamfana, 39, of Motherwell, tried to take her life due to bullying, while Schemper, 36, of Kariega, continues to battle a brain tumour.
Magqamfana runs a nonprofit called Ndiyinkwenkwezi ndiqaqamba ebumnyameni (I am a star that shines bright in the dark).
The NPO uplifts the youth in her community through her arts and drama programmes which she has been running since 2019.
However, it was in 2023 when she was first inspired to donate school shoes to the youth in her programme.
She said she had witnessed three of her young cast members, while performing at the UDaba Arts Festival, wrap plastic bags around their feet on a rainy day because their shoes had holes in them.
After seeing the pain in their eyes, she became determined to protect their dignity.
She has more than 50 arts and drama students.
On January 10, she donated 20 pairs of school shoes to the young people in her programme, all from Motherwell and surrounds.
Magqamfana funded her project through ticket sales from her production, Children in Monologues, which ran on December 7 at St Steven’s Hall in New Brighton, and in Motherwell NU1 at a park on December 8.
The theatre production was funded by the National Arts Council and looked at some of the challenges the youth face.
“At times people think children are stupid because they battle at school, without knowing what the child's living condition is.
“I noticed a 12-year-old coming to rehearsal carrying a one-month-old baby.
“I had to take care of the infant so the child could practise.
“I was inspired to do this drive because I also grew up poor, without a father.
“My mother raised all eight of us siblings.
“When I was in grade 10, I tried to take my own life because I did not have school shoes.
“I was made a mockery of at school and I was bullied,” Magqamfana said.
She hoped through supporting the youth she could sway them from criminal activity and instead inspire them to pursue an education or a career in the arts.
Schemper, chief executive of nonprofit Christ help on my problem, said she had started the initiative with the intention of helping abused women and children, and those less fortunate.
Having survived more than a decade of gender-based violence, she is now fighting a brain tumour.
She found out about the tumour in late December, at about the same time she started her festive season food drive, which required her to stand outside a retail store, asking for donations.
She said she hoped to teach her daughter through her work that giving was as important as receiving.
Her team has already collected 30 pairs of school shoes and enough stationery for 80 children.
“We started with a food drive from December 22 to January 1,” she said.
“We have given out 300 food parcels during the festive season while also feeding 420 people warm meals in Kariega.
“When I saw the need in those children, I decided to help them because they are our future.
“Children can also be nasty to each other, so we wanted to ensure they have school shoes, stationery and food to keep their tummies full.
“We do not want them dropping out of school.”
On her illness, she said she had started with headaches and double vision.
On December 27, she went for blood tests, only to receive the devastating news of a benign tumour affecting the nerves to her eyes.
“Having just started my nonprofit, I was emotional when I got the news and asked ‘why me?’.
“Then something said ‘why not you?’. I thought I was not going to allow the devil to win.”
Gathering the same resolve she used to walk away from her abusive relationship, Schemper said she would not stop helping others despite her medical condition and one day hoped to open her own safe haven.
She thanked the community for the donations.
HeraldLIVE
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