It does not matter where you come from, only where you are going. With that in mind, can you help five children from Diepsloot afford to attend a global summit and have the experience of a lifetime?
Choice Moshokoa, Lesego Tegela, Sizwe Ndebele, Katekani Baloyi and Similo Nobumba are Grade 6 and 7 learners at Diepsloot Primary School 4 in the informal settlement and have been invited to attend this year’s I CAN Children’s Global Summit, which will take place in Rome, Italy from 27 to 30 November.
After participating in the Design for Change South Africa (the local chapter of a global movement to inspire children to think for themselves) this year, the children have the chance to present their project at the summit attended by about 600 children from around the world.
The children will be leaving for the trip on 25 November.
“At the summit, children from different countries will be showcasing their projects, which are aimed at showing the innovative ways that the children want to solve a problem in their own neighbourhoods,” explained Johannes Joe Makhafo, who is the school’s principal. “For their project, our children focused on the challenge of littering in the informal settlement.
“They worked on innovative ways to change the mindset around littering, first in the minds of children here at the school and then hopefully it will also spread to the rest of the Diepsloot community.”
Makhafo hopes that even once the summit is finished, the children will use the experience as a springboard to keep working hard and focusing on issues like the environment and recycling.
Organising the funding to send the children on this once-in-lifetime trip has been challenging, as both the school and the children’s families are not really able to provide the necessary funds.
Thanks to a donation of Lego sets from Fourways Rotary, the school has organised a raffle of the toys (for R5 a ticket) to help fundraise.
Now, as the date for leaving draws nearer, Makhafo is appealing to members of the public to help the young learners make their journey.
“We’re looking at about R15 000 per child for things like the flight (which will be about R8 000) and the visas (which are about R1 600), so it’s R75 000 that we need in total.
“I think this trip will have such a positive impact on the children. I always say to my kids ‘it’s not where you come from, it’s where you’re going’, and I think this would give the children confidence that they can achieve their dreams. It will also be an eye-opening experience for them.
“Children are the future. I think this experience will not only change these five children, but the whole community of Diepsloot as well.”
Makhafo concluded that even once the summit has passed, donations towards the associated costs are still welcome because the school might be forced to divert funds from other needs.
Details: For more information about how you can help the young learners, contact the school on
011 042 9115 or Johannes Makhafo on 071 106 1632.
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