Through rhythm, dance and the beat of the drums, the Kids of Kurland School Project aims to raise funds to help uplift children living in the rural area in Plettenberg Bay.
The nonprofit organisation has organised a fundraiser that will see the international award-winning Zolani Youth Choir take to the stage with their soothing a cappella songs.
The audience will be entertained at the White House Theatre in Plett at 8pm on February 22.
Kids of Kurland project co-founder Ann Fermor said the NPO was established in 2001 to help the children of the poorer Kurland community, and had since been raising funds towards their cause.
She said the NPO had helped raise funds to employ staff at The Crags Primary School.
“We have employed two teachers, a special needs teacher, and a part-time social worker.
“Life skills education presented to date has included topics such as empowerment, functional behaviour, capacity building and coping skills,” Fermor said.
The NPO was formed by Fermor, a former teacher, and local entrepreneur Janet Holding, along with former school principal Kobie Sniders.
Zolani Youth Choir founder Odwa Mvunge said it was important for people to get things done themselves, and not to depend on the government for everything.
Mvunge said this was why the choir’s members had decided to be part of a project that gave back to its community.
“Music is a universal language. It brings people together, creates better citizens through discipline, and creates leaders who are team players.
“Through our music we are able to tell stories from our own perspective and give an honest view of our circumstances and conditions.
“We tell African stories through traditional African sounds, which is what we will be bringing to Plettenberg Bay — a beautiful story told through music,” he said.
The Zolani Youth Choir was established in 2012 in the small town of Ashton in the Western Cape.
Mvunge’s goal was to equip children in Zolani village with musical skills, and to prove to them that hard work and dedication would allow them to accomplish almost anything.
The group now has more than 40 young members who practise together in a shack.
As such, Mvunge said, they could relate to the struggles the children in Kurland faced.
“It makes us proud to be part of a project that seeks to uplift and empower learners from rural areas.
“We are an organisation that strongly believes in education.
“If we can contribute to a fundraising campaign that can improve the conditions of education at disadvantaged schools, then we are proud to be part of the change we want to see.
“We also come from disadvantaged backgrounds, but we constantly remind ourselves that our destiny is far greater than our circumstances,” Mvunge said.
The Zolani Youth Choir gained international fame after winning the Grand Prix a cappella competition in Moscow, Russia, on August 13 2024, walking away with R1.8m in prize money.
During their time in Moscow, they sang at various venues around the city and were enthusiastically received.
Tickets for the Plett performance cost R250 a person and can be purchased from The Old House Shop.
The Herald
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