Dignity of local learners from child-headed homes restored
"We believe through this initiative, we can ensure that no learner stays at home because they couldn’t afford food or hygiene products."
Advocate Siduduzo Gumede and his team hands over multiple donations to the learners of Progress Secondary School.
To close off Mandela Month, the Office of the Ombudsman visited Progress Comprehensive Academic School in Pimville to donate garden seeds, clothes and dignity packs.
The donations and visit were done under the theme: Reclaiming our dignity: addressing the issue of child headed homes which is the staggering reality for many children as well as the issue of food security in Soweto.
Advocate Siduduzo Gumede from the Ombudsman’s office said, “As an office that advocates for the protection of human rights for communities in which we operate, restoring dignity back into the lives of these vulnerable learners is our key focus.
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We believe through this initiative, we can ensure that no learner stays at home because they couldn’t afford food or hygiene products.
According to Adv Gumede, the school has always managed to achieve excellent matric results despite its many challenges. This is also one of the reasons why they wanted to contribute towards the alleviation of some of the socio-economic pressures faced by the learners on a daily basis.
“One way of reclaiming our dignity within the community requires us to start doing things ourselves.
“There is a lot of land laying fallow in communities that can be cultivated to produce food that can sustain our families,” he said.
With each seed planted in the garden, the school has taken a step closer to sustaining food security and ensuring that learners continue excelling in their school work.
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“Learners should understand the importance of doing things for themselves.
“Today they are planting and tomorrow they will be reaping the fruits of their sweat, dedication and hard work,” said Cllr Sebenzile Mabuza.
Learners will start to sprout seeds within themselves to dream a vision bigger than their current realities. This is the beginning of a restored dignity within the community of Pimville.
