Alex poet Refilwe Pieterse issues her Christmas wish list
ALEXANDRA – Refilwe Pieterse says as a resident of the township she has a front-row seat at seeing everything that affects the livelihoods of children.
Alex poet and writer Refilwe Pieterse of 13th Avenue has issued her Christmas wish list for the children of the township that she has over years seen being ravaged with violence, drugs, crime and poverty and believes your assistance can go a long way towards stemming this tide.
Pieterse made the appeal for support to Alex News through her foundation, the Refilwe Pieterse Foundation. “I have a front-row seat at seeing everything here that affects the livelihoods of children, such as violence, drugs, crime, killings, the increase in alcohol abuse and poverty, the worst being child neglect.
“I have also seen a lot of children starving and going to school without eating breakfast or carrying lunch, most of the children spend hours and hours in the street without the care of their parents.”
Pieterse pointed out that this year alone, she has packed more than 5 000 lunch boxes to help those children who go to school without lunch because their families do not know where to find their next meal.
“Most of the children I help are based on 13th Avenue where I have lived for the past 37 years. The lunch box programme which I often refer to as ‘Scaftin’ helps about 120 children who come to my house from 06:30 to 08:00 to collect lunch and for some, it is breakfast as well while on their way to school.
“It’s not an easy task for me but a necessary one, because of the need. When I get gigs, I buy loaves of bread, jam, peanut butter, and once in a while, I am able to afford polony. Some days I have nothing to offer so children will go to school without lunch.”
Pieterse said she recently added the boys and girls programmes in partnership with the Alexandra Men’s Forum, Community Policing Forum and Buyisa, an organisation of an ensemble of healers in the township that also have seen a fair share of the suffering of children.
She said the recent tragedy of a 15-year-old boy who fatally stabbed a 14-year-old counterpart at Pholosho Junior Secondary School speaks volumes about the magnitude of the problem.
‘My Story this Christmas’, which is the theme for this year, is a children’s Christmas programme to benefit the most vulnerable children in Alex, which aims to:
- Provide children with Christmas gifts and outing
- Use storytelling as a method for children healing
- Promote reading and writing
- Mentorship and motivation.
My Story this Christmas targets children from three to 14 years and the event will take place on 13th Avenue from December 6 to 11 and whatever donations are made can fall into the above items.
Details: Refilwe Pieterse 072 345 9975; pieterserefilwe259@gmail.com
