It was a step in the right direction for Khuthala Primary School kids after they received donations from Alpha Ministries Social Care Centre.
As Mandela Month closes and schools open, the primary school learners were welcomed with gifts as a way for the organisation to do their bit for 67 minutes significant to the month of July.
Pastor Maureen Sibadela of the organisation said, “Initially we wanted to do our 67 minutes for Mandela Day, so we liaised with the school to see if there were 67 kids who needed school shoes, but we found out that they have more than 71 learners, to be exact.”
Sibadela and her husband raised the money to buy 54 pairs of school shoes for the children, then the senior citizens registered with the organisation contributed to raising the money to buy the remaining pairs.
Alpha Ministries partnered with the Himalaya Foundation and the Department of Health.
“Himalaya Foundation came to join us to do health and wellness and they also contributed with food during the day, which means that every child received food and drinks.
“The department assisted with high blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol testing,” said Sibadela.
About 200 senior citizens from the organisation attended the event at the school.
“Grannies contributed so they are here to really make sure that these really reach those children.
“They were also going to do storytelling for the children of the school to show them that they were here for them and could do anything for them at any given time.”
Precious Ntonga from the Himalaya Foundation said, “As a company, we are very passionate about giving back to the less fortunate.
“We live in a community that is buying and selling our product so it’s our way of saying thank you for supporting us all these years.”
The foundation produces cosmetics, medicines and health products that are 100 per cent natural.
The foundation gave away 1000 packages to the kids and the senior citizens.
Sibadela said that they hosted this event at the end of the month due to schools being closed and said that they wanted to get the children’s minds while they were still fresh for the new term.
“For now, this is the school that is close to our centre, that’s why we chose it, but we further discussed as an organisation that we would be moving from one school to another in Soweto, so it won’t just be donating things, like pads or school jerseys, there shouldn’t be a child who lacks anything.”
Alpha Ministries want to give back to more schools and want to keep going to different schools to find out what they need for the children.
“We saw that there was an issue of pads in schools, and sometimes young girls start menstruating in Grade Seven, so we wanted to assist as much as possible. We are not only donating shoes, but we brought sanitary pads as well.
“We want to encourage the recipients that they should always go to school, there shouldn’t be a child that says they can’t go to school because they don’t have shoes, stationery, jersey or anything.”
Sibadela expressed how the organisation is there for children, in terms of food if they don’t get food at home, they can provide sandwiches, juice, tea and fruits in the morning so they can get the morning energy.
“If there’s nobody helping you with your homework we are saying we can help you. We have psychologists, social workers, whatever problems, even families we are asking them to come to us if they have problems of any sort,” said Sibadela.
Visitors at the school were welcomed by the school choir and the principal, Sizakele Dube thanked Alpha and Himalayas for their donations and said that it was the first-time senior citizens had visited the school.
“We thank the support from the people of Soweto to allow us to talk to them and speak to them, because if they didn’t pitch, then this would have all gone to waste, so there will be more partnerships and events to come,” said Ntonga.
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