An effort to change a friend’s life
Though he grew up in an environment that could have hardened him for life; one local youth's soft approach to others proves his empathy.
To impact someone’s life you don’t need to have all the money in the world. You just need the deep desire to affect change in the best way you can. Tapfuma Mabuku is a clear example of how you can do that.
He writes:
I heard it said that a helping hand can be a ray of sunshine in a cloudy world. But, I was living in a world where it seemed truer that survival was for the fittest beast.
A world of chaos, where anger and frustration drove you. I was raised in a society where you don’t have to think about others, only about yourself. Where it was considered a path to death to think about your neighbour, the homeless and especially, young kids. I ended up being part and parcel of that society and it left me angry and unhappy in life.
When I joined a Northcliff-based football team I met people who came from the same neighbourhood who thought differently. It surprised me; these Growing Champion Football Club coaches taught me how to love and care about others. I saw how coach Sam Toweel-Moore, the founder, and aunty Vanessa Wright the facilitator, loved and cared about them like they were their own.
As I became part of this family, I met new people that volunteer to help us youth to get better educated, to celebrate our birthdays and how to manage finances. All these people give up their time and use their skills to help me, for nothing in return. I felt so cared for that I started to care about my own future more than before. I could stop hating others and open my heart to care for them. I realised one can express humanity by helping those in need and touching their heart as I have learnt that those who help others, get a positive feeling in return.
The most important thing they taught me is not to be afraid to live or be alive! I thought life was the existence of individuals, but I got to know that life is from point B to D, from Birth to Death. But, what lies between B and D? That’s C.
C stands for choices. Life is a matter of choices, which is what made me say enough is enough, there is no one who will suffer as long as I am there and I can help in that process. I choose life.
I have started standing up for people who are in need. It’s led me to come up with the idea of changing the world and making a difference by touching as many hearts as I can in my journey. There is a Zulu proverb that I like, that says, ‘Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu,’ meaning, ‘You are who you are today because of certain people.’ This proverb shows the spirit of my Growing Champions family because champions help each other and they rise together.
I decided to write this article because of my classmate, Hazel Moyo, an 18-year-old girl in Grade 11 who is part of our neighbourhood family.
Hazel has been diagnosed with scoliosis of the spine, a condition that has drastically impacted her daily life and mobility in a negative way. It has affected her education, and her future is now on hold. The required surgery is both expensive and invasive involving posterior scoliosis repair and fusion. The financial burden for the family for this surgery is too great to bear alone, that is where we come in.
We hold the power to all give the little we can, together we can let Hazel know we do care, we do notice and we choose to stand by her side. Hazel needs us to stand by her side and help make this life-changing surgery a reality.
Hazel, I care, and I am doing what I can to let you know that I am your friend and your pain, and you matter to me. Never lose hope.
To the greater community, if you have any job for me to do or for my band of Growing Champion brothers and me to do, it would help us raise funds for Hazel. Perhaps you’d be willing or are inspired to make a donation to fund her, please do. We can, together, but, ‘we’ starts with me.
Details: Coach Sam, 082 803 3866.
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