THERE were plenty of beeps of approval and cheers for a group of 11 walkers as they walked down Umhlanga Rocks Drive on Friday. The walkers, all members of uMzansi Youth in Business, a non-profit organisation, had walked for six days, covering 90km from Pietermaritzburg to Durban to raise funds for hygiene packs for young women.
According to Nonjabulo Khuzwayo, who led the walk, the group walked from the organisation’s office in Sweetwaters, Pietermaritzburg, last Monday before ending in uMhlanga.
Carrying placards calling for an end to gender-based violence (GBV), the group were accompanied by Metro Police who guided them through traffic in the area.
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“This walk revolved around the death of Akhona Mncube (19), a Sweetwaters resident, who was allegedly killed by her boyfriend. From what we’ve learned she was financially dependent on him for her most basic needs. As a centre that deals with GBV cases we felt compelled to act. We also know many young women in the area are prone to similar circumstances so we wanted to take the lead and provide sanitary packs to them and help empower them to prevent them from becoming victims of GBV,” Khuzwayo said.
The packs collected along the way through donations and awareness campaigns include a number of items including toothbrushes, roll-on, sanitary pads and body lotion.
“The support we received along the route and even in uMhlanga has been overwhelming. Although we are in a lot of pain we chose this pain, many of the young girls and women who are beaten go through pain on a daily basis so it was important for us to remember that with every step. We want to empower the women in our community,” she concluded.
If you would like to find out more about the group, you can visit their Instagram page
@uybculture or follow them on Facebook ‘Umzansi Youth in Business’.
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