Kariega and KwaNobuhle residents are doing their bit — in separate initiatives — to ensure the youth have the best opportunity possible to pursue education.
In Kariega, three friends have made it their mission to help matriculants secure acceptance at institutions of higher learning after passing matric.
Ghauderen Coetzee-de Vos, Virginia Phillips and David Goliath — who have been friends since the early 1990s — identified a need for the intervention and started the appropriately named nonprofit company, HOPEisaverb.
Coetzee-de Vos — a lecturer at Nelson Mandela University — said they wanted to help youngsters with applications to universities, TVET colleges, the defence force and other institutions to ensure the youth continued to pursue their dreams.
And they do so without funding, predominantly posting on their Facebook page where they convey the need and rely on the support of Bay people and businesses.
In one case, a Gqeberha student headed for the University of Free State had to leave before the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) had paid out.
“We got Rose Lane church to donate their collection of that Sunday towards getting him on a bus and paying his accommodation needs for the month,” she said.
“We can humbly say the community has never let us down.”
Then in KwaNobuhle, a group of residents have taken it upon themselves to assist struggling pupils in the township, one school at a time.
The Uitenhage Despatch Community Matters (UDCM) group recently handed out stationery to three schools — Thanduxolo High, Tinara High and Solomon Mahlangu — at the loveLife Centre.
UDCM member Thanduxolo Mtakwende said apart from fighting crime in the community, the group aimed to assist underprivileged children with school essentials.
“We want to make sure we are able to assist and our members do so by buying stationery.
“We also keep a lookout for children bunking school and we take them back to class.
“Our prayer as a group is to ensure that all children are at school during school hours, and we do all we can to ensure this is done.”
We applaud such initiatives, done for no other reason than to assist our children on their academic paths, hopefully on their way to a better future which for many young people in SA is simply out of reach.
From parents and caregivers to neighbours, local businesses, NGOs and faith groups — we all have a role to play.
So let us stop waiting for someone else to step in and solve the problem.
These two initiatives prove that every person can make a difference.
The Herald
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.