Kwa-Thema Skills School celebrates International Day of the Boy Child
Kwa-Thema Skills School of Specialization hosted an event to celebrate their male student on International Day of the Boy Child
Kwa-Thema – May 16 was no ordinary day for boys at Kwa-Thema Skills School. The day is dubbed International Day of the Boy Child.
Kwa-Thema Skills School grabbed the opportunity to celebrate their boys in style.
Hlase Mpho Community Development Project, together with Thabang Xaba, Tshipi Noto, and Kutlwano Social Organisation, took it upon themselves to make the day special for the teenagers.
Executive director of Hlase Mpho, Martha Ntshona, said they decided to host the event after they identified a huge gap between a boy and girl child in how society supports them.
“We tend to give girls more attention than boys. We are here today to celebrate boys and show them that we do care and love them,” she said.
She told the publication that the school is also known for bullying and gang fights and it’s something that they have been trying to deal with as an organisation. So far, they haven’t been successful.
During the event, learners were allowed to either ask questions, provide a comment or add to the conversation.
Many learners raised concerns about bullying, meted out by senior learners on the school premises.
Nokuthula Ndimande from the Gauteng Department of e-Government told African Reporter that with bullying being one of the biggest problems in South African schools, victims need to be supported.
“It is sad because this is deeper than what we think and see at face value. Working with these children, who come from different backgrounds, you begin to understand that bullying had a root cause.
“We need to be aware that bullies are the ones who are broken and hurting the most as compared to their victims. They choose bullying to feel better about themselves and to suppress their pain,” said Ndimande.
She added that bullying is a very sensitive issue that should not be overlooked because victims often end up committing suicide.
According to Thabang Xaba from Thabang Xaba Foundation, Kwa-Thema Skills has indicated on several occasions that their boys faced challenges related to drugs and bullying. They decided to come and help liberate the boys.
The event saw social workers, SANCA representatives, and recovered addict share their stories.
