Montclair pupils pull together to help fund Amile’s lifesaving surgery
"Amile is part of our community and I promise, you will feel so good helping out "
SCHOOLS in the Montwood area have been touched by Amile Hlongwane’s story, with local pupils pulling together to do their bit to raise the much-needed R2-million required for the little Montclair girl’s liver transplant.
The Sun first wrote about Amile’s condition in its 28 August edition, highlighting how her parents had been informed by her medical team that she required a liver transplant to save her from debilitating liver cirrhosis.
READ:Â Amile (7) needs R2-m liver transplant
Woodlands junior and senior primary school have collectively raised R16,700. The children from both campuses brought extra money along with their civvies on heritage day in support of Amile.
Having Amile as a pupil at their school, her issue hits close to home as she is a friend of the junior school pupils and teachers.
New Forest High pupil, Ruth Kasanga and a few of her friends were equally touched by Amile’s story after reading about it in the Sun. “She is so little and shouldn’t be going through this. It makes me sad that it’s a life she has had to get used to. I couldn’t just sit and do nothing. My friends and I sold brownies, choc chip cookies and samoosas donated by our parents,” she said. Ruth also made ribbons and informative boards in support of liver disease awareness, so she is not only raising funds but also awareness around the illness. “Everybody has been supportive of my project and wrote notes for Amile on my letterboard, sending her well wishes and prayers,” she added.
Ruth encourages the community to band together towards Amile’s cause. “She is part of our community and I promise, you will feel so good helping out – even if it’s a small contribution, every cent counts,” said the grade 10 pupil. So far, the New Forest friends’ efforts have raised R2,000.
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New Forest teacher, Michelle Wasserman who has been supporting Ruth and friends from the start said it’s wonderful to see young people helping and giving back to the community. “They’re not doing this to get something out of it, they’re doing it because they truly want to help this little girl. They empathise with her and are trying to find ways to make her life better. They are showing us that to be a great person, you need to do great things that will make a great difference in this world,” she said.
