St Andrew’s learners host several initiatives for Mandela Month

St Andrew’s School for Girls pulled out all the stops for Mandela Day, with a number of inspiring activities.

Tanya Gregory, head of Community Service at the school, said the learners had a Night Out with 250 learners attending and had an awareness campaign on the homeless on July 18.

The high school learners along with the uBambiswano Saturday School slept out in the driveway of the school to bring awareness about the plight of people who do not have homes.

Gregory said the learners who participated in the Night Out had valuable discussions about how to bring dignity to those living on the street.

“The learners had an in-depth discussion on the homeless and how we should treat them.

“We had a talk by an 11-year-old boy. The learners learnt about how we should treat them with dignity and respect and never to shun them,” said Gregory.

Matric learner Myungsung Kim, and head of the task team for Community Service, said the learners had a great bonding experience at the Night Out.

“We learnt a lot, it was an eye-opener. We learnt that we should not refer to them as being homeless because they do not feel that way about themselves. We all embraced sleeping out,” said Kim.

Gregory added that the learners also had a talk from Sole2Sole and participated in a shoe collection initiative.

On July 19, the Grade 10 learners along with Grade 12 were taught how to crochet, in keeping with the 67 Minutes Mandela Day call.

Lynton Le Tevre, the 67 Minutes Brand Ambassador, said they have partnered with St Andrews School for Girls on the Mandela Day projects.

“We wanted to bring crafts back this year and decided to teach the learners how to crochet,” said Le Tevre.

High School life sciences teacher and head of Eco Jessica Braund said the Grade Nine learners participated in various eco activities on Mandela Day.

She said the activities included washing and sorting out bottle tops, making reusable wrapping paper and gift tags and making eco bricks.

“The learners are doing this for the Sweetheart Foundation, an organisation that gives wheelchairs to those who need them,” said Braund.

Gregory added that the learners also picked up litter at the Linksfield Ridge and visited Zenzani Crèche.

“The girls participated in a Dignity Dreams talk and workshop where they made reusable sanitary towels,” said Gregory.

She said the Acapella School band also visited the St Francis Orphanage and Hospice Centre, while the pre-school showed appreciation to the schools’ support staff.

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