Teacher helps learners to further their education
I want to give them a kick-start to get their foot into the door.
“As a teacher, I have seen how black children suffer due to poverty and saw a need to give them hope. I want to restore their dignity through education.”
These were the words of Sibonelo Zuma, founder of Isibonelo Youth Development Foundation.
Sibonelo from Denver is a teacher who has an interest in helping learners get to university.
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“My vision started in 2015 after realising the need for school learners to get into varsity. Many black families cannot afford the registration fees. I wanted to give them a kick-start to get their foot in the door,” said Sibonelo.
Isibonelo Youth Development Foundation offers assistance to learners who want to go to university but don’t have the finances.
It helps them with registration fees and pays for accommodation for three months until the learner gets a bursary.
He said the idea of starting the foundation came after he spoke to learners from a disadvantaged background.
The learners shared the struggles of getting into university and registration.
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“Families are disadvantaged and in most cases, they never save up for tertiary education for their children. Learners would be accepted at varsity but cannot afford registration and you would find that NFSAS has not replied if a learner has been granted the bursary or not.
“Learners are left stranded because they end up not going because of that situation,” explained Sibonelo.
He said he wanted to offer them the chance of a brighter future.
He said the journey has not been easy because he has to go to companies and ask for funding and still go to work.
“Some companies don’t even give you an opportunity for you to present your proposal. Others would promise to fund you but when the time comes for them to deliver they will back out.
“Companies would rather offer a bursary to the brightest student and forget about the average learner.
“For an average learner, it is difficult to secure a bursary from big companies,” said Sibonelo.
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The foundation recently helped five learners to register at Denver College who couldn’t afford registration.
“We are starting small and will be funding these learners for three months. They will carry on paying for themselves. But we will not abandon them. We will still offer support where we can.
“This is a starting point and we want to help the crucial months that will kick-start the journey,” said Sibonelo.
He said his passion for the youth is the driving force behind the project.
“Every time I lose hope or get disappointed I remind myself why I started the foundation. I want to help those in need because sometimes all they need is someone to offer a helping hand.”
Anyone interested in contributing to the foundation can contact Sibonelo on 073 422 8713.
