SILINDILE Mgaga (23), a postgraduate student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Westville Campus, has co-founded a non-profit organisation (NPO), Chocolate Kids, to empower disadvantaged primary school pupils.
She founded the NPO in partnership with professor Sanjana Brijball Parumasur, who is Mgaga’s mentor and a former Research Methodology Lecturer and Academic Leader at the School of Management, Information Technology and Governance.
Chocolate Kids aims to improve the vocabulary, confidence and aptitude in public speaking of disadvantaged primary school pupils. The first primary school chosen as a beneficiary of the organisation was Christopher Nxumalo Higher Primary School in the Chesterville Township.
According to Mgaga, the primary approach of the organisation’s project was to encourage the pupils to attend Sunday morning tutorial sessions from Tuesday 27 July to Saturday 19 October.
The pupils’ progress was challenged at the 1st annual Chocolate Kids Spelling Bee Competition held on Saturday 26 October at the UKZN Westville Campus.
“The programme helped the pupils to improve their reading skills and comprehension and was also appreciated by the parents. Some of them travelled far to be present at the spelling bee competition,” said MP Makhanya, the head of department (HOD) of the grade 5 and 7 pupils at the primary school.
“The response from the children was unbelievable. They were so enthusiastic and eager to learn. I decided to start the initiative after my mother, who works as a HOD at a disadvantaged school, complained to me about the pupils’ poor vocabulary and lack of motivation. I had the privilege of getting a higher education, so I wanted to give back to the community. I want to teach the children that despite gowning up without parents or in a disadvantaged community they can do anything they want and pursue their dreams,” said Mgaga.
Mgaga hopes to expand her NPO’s projects by including a debating and book clubs to motivate reading and further facilitate self-confidence. She is appealing to residents and businesses to sponsor books and dictionaries to her NPO.
