Forty four pupils at Somlandela Primary School in Site B, Khayelitsha, will no longer go to school with broken shoes thanks to Melela4Children (M4C)who gave them new school shoes on Friday July 26.
The shoes were donated as part of the NGO’s 67 minutes for Mandela initiative. According to the school principal Makhosandile Dyum, the gesture would bring hope, pride and dignity to the children of Site B. The 40 appreciative recipients stood proudly with their new shoes, while the joy was also evident on their parents’ faces.
Mr Dyum said he and the entire school community were grateful for the support of the NGO who recognised the need to uplift and motivate the pupils. “You see, Most of our children survive on social grants. Their parents can’t afford (the things they need). In all honesty, they have no money to buy new school shoes for the children due to unemployment. What this means now is that they will go to school (looking) neat. It will build them morally and grow their confidence,” he said.
The NGO’s representative, Percy Williamson, said his organisation would always strive to improve the lives of children.
“Children are the future and giving the child the best experience is a way of ensuring the future of the country and making sure that children feel the love and the joys of being a child,” he said.
M4C aims to help children who are poverty-stricken and affected by abuse, and to improve the quality of life for pupils from poor urban backgrounds through interventions that improve their education experience. It offers educational activities for pupils in Grades 4 to 6 at Sobambisana Public Primary and Sakumlandela Primary School, both based in Site B. The pupils are tutored by young student volunteers from universities around Cape Town. The organisation works with more than 1 000 children and involves parents who are unemployed in the preparation of balanced meals for the pupils.