Their fight is to keep learners in school
The foundation has identified 20 schools in Limpopo that they would like to work with from March but they are still waiting for the go ahead.
POLOKWANE – Thapelo Makalela and Queen Mculu are fighting to keep learners in school.
Under the foundation, Queens of Gosiame supported by Thapelo Foundation, they are reaching out to learners across Zebediela and Polokwane who have encountered challenges in their upbringing. They aim to inspire them to keep focused on education and not give up on their goals. “Education is key, we want to encourage learners to keep their dreams alive, no matter what traumatic experiences they may have gone through,” explained Thapelo.
He said they realised that there are many children who go through traumatic experiences of abuse and bullying and it often affects their quality of life. “We make it clear that we do not do counselling, we just offer learners activities that can serve as an escape from their circumstances for the hours that we will be working with them. We provide activities such as soccer and netball games and motivational talks,” he added.
Thapelo explained that they are trying to pull youth away from falling into the trap of following bad influences. He added that as much as the foundation would appreciate assistance from people and businesses that can, it is not about the material things but more about the value people can bring through information and guidance to grow the foundation and reach more children that they would be able to without external influences. “Although funding would also help a little bit because at this point we are funding everything out of pocket. We pay for all the activities and travelling costs, which requires lots of sacrifices,” he said.
The foundation has identified 20 schools in Limpopo that they would like to work with from March but they are still waiting for the go ahead. “We urge learners that feel like they have lost the drive and will for success to remain strong. Focus on education and do not fall into the trap of substance abuse,” he concluded.
