Stepping into the footsteps of uTata’s humanitarian work, Independent Media’s team took to Alexandra and donated 67 school shoes at Skeen Primary School, including 250 blankets at Itlhokomeleng Old Age Home for Mandela Day, on Wednesday.
Beaming at their new school shoes, the learners, in a queue, were eager to get rid of their old shoes and wear their new shoes.
Skeen Primary School is categorised as quintile 2, meaning, it is a non-fee paying school that depends on donations from stakeholders and the Basic Education Department to meet basic needs of food, cosmetics and clothing for learners.
The school’s deputy principals, Lebeya Masilo for Intermediate phase and Vicky Makula for Foundation Phase, expressed their gratitude for the shoes as a vast number of learners face the plight of poverty, where their parents are unemployed and are from child-headed households. Thus, they hardly have access to school uniforms and shoes.
“We rely on donations as a school. When learners cannot access basic needs, such as food and clothes, their school performance is affected. So, by donating the shoes, it makes a big difference,” said Masilo.
Furthermore, Makula said that since the school receives continuous food donations from other NGOs and companies, the school attendance and pass rate of learners has increased.
Additionally, the school’s teachers, Beatrice Nchabeleng and Martha Goba, lamented a significant challenge of sanitary towels shortage, which is immensely affecting attendance of girl learners. They miss close to five school days during menstruation.
Noting their educator role is stretched to parenting and social work to attend the various socio-economic challenges against learners, Goba stressed the school is in dire need of food packages, clothing and sanitary towels to render the learners, especially during holidays as learners’ access is limited during holidays.
Goba said the school’s challenges were affecting teachers’ wellbeing, where their work is slacking, they manoeuvre multiple roles and are emotionally taxed.
Therefore, both deputies implored for more food, clothing and pads donations from stakeholders in order for long-term providence for learners.
“The department’s donations are not sustainable. We need more companies to donate to our school. We really need clothes and food, for food packages and feeding schemes to feed learners,” said Makula and Goba.
In the same vein, founder and CEO of Itlhokomeleng Old Age Home, Dr Marjorie Manganye - dubbed “the angel of light” - was overjoyed to receive the blankets.
The old age home caters for 101 elderly people and is reliant on the private sector for food and clothing donations, among other necessities, to meet basic needs of the elderly.
Noting her purpose to serve people, Manganye deeply thanked Independent Media for the blankets, as at most times, the elderly are left destitute from their families and society.
Thus, the old age home is a safe haven for the elderly.
“I thank you guys for coming. Money is not the only thing we want, but companies like you- independent Media- help us with food and blankets to cater for the elderly. Your donations have made our elderly very happy- these are people who grew up with deep challenges. So, you coming here gives them hope, they feel important and seen,” said Manganye.
The Star