Youthful partnership aids needy kids

Alex youth in partnership with other like-minded youngsters took the future of their younger peers into their own hands recently.

This was through practical support in education and life skills in a setting they hope will be a long-term platform for benefactors to complement their noble deed. The gesture was by youth NPO Hands of Wisdom operating at Thusong Youth Centre where they distributed food donated by Mista Surge Pharmaceutical company to needy children who rely on the centre for all sorts of support.

The also drew in students from the University of Joburg (UJ) to tutor and encourage the children to dedicate themselves to education up to university level in order to stand a better chance at life, for themselves and their families.

The NPO’s Chris Ndlovu said partnerships were paramount and increased the critical mass required to support many needy children reliant on the centre for food, education, homework support, aftercare, counselling and skills development. “We expose the children with no other support, to their potential and education opportunities. Further, we encourage them to remain in school, keep them off the streets and from bad influences and danger from traffic-related accidents,” Ndlovu said.

He said the centre has nurtured hundreds of children and needs to be preserved and supported through donations, as many still rely on it daily. “With the onset of winter, the kids will require warm clothing and a soup kitchen for warm food.”

Visiting UJ students said they wanted to motivate the children who tend to listen and emulate their age group and the youth in general. “They need encouragement to know that they, too, can make it to university despite their adversities, as drugs, substance abuse and other negative conduct will ruin their lives and a chance at education,” said student Tlholohelo Hlapane, who commended the centre’s positive role and said it made it an easy choice for their support of giving back through outreach programmes to children, old-age homes and animal shelters. “For now, our education focus is on commercial subjects but will be diversified as more students from various faculties join the programme,” she said.

Her peer, Dominic Zwane commended the NPO and said it was a platform to motivate the children who, like many in other townships, dropped out in the first year of university study. “We want to guide and prepare them from an early age to be resilient at tertiary level. Mostly, they drop out because of ill preparation for varsity study, which has no supervision and requires self commitment and dedication.”

The students also helped to feed the children.

Details Chris Ndlovu 084 533 0096.

Edited by Beryl Knipe

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