A group of Wits University students have set themselves the tall order of eliminating the vicious cycle of poverty in Alex.
A tall order indeed, but the group, which is a partnership between organisations African Sports and Scholastic Initiative for Students in Townships (Assist) and 14Thirty5ive, are determined to make a dent in the poverty trap that overwhelms generational families in Alex.
Instead of engaging in illicit pastimes and night clubbing, the students have decided to use their time wisely and engage in community upliftment programmes.
One of the programmes came about from a basketball project in which the students realised schoolchildren’s love of the game and wanted to translate this love towards improving their academic performance.
Started in 2012, Assist runs after-school supplementary programmes and weekend career guidance sessions for a select number of Alex pupils at Pholosho Junior Secondary School which are aimed at harnessing the academic potential of the pupils.
Various students and post-graduate students from Wits voluntarily use their spare time to come and teach the children in Alexandra each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Zukiswa White of Assist, said the popularity of the programme grew beyond basketball courts, and last year they began accepting non-basketball playing pupils into the programme.
“We also shifted our focus more towards building a solid academic foundation, as well as cultivating among the pupils a sense of personal initiative and a drive for excellence,” said Soweto’s 22-year-old White.
“With the support of the Wits Citizenship and Community Outreach programme, we have managed to enlist a team of dedicated volunteer tutors from the university who come to Alex to supplement the academic learning of the pupils three times a week.”
More than 60 children have been registered for this year’s programme which begins on 2 March and White impressed upon the parents the importance of their children attending every single session if they are to see good results at the end of the programme.
