UWP Consulting provides launchpad for teenage girls
The beneficiaries have received personal hygiene kits containing all the items that teenage girls should have
Consulting engineering firm UWP Consulting chose Women’s Month to officially launch an initiative that has the potential to change the lives of many hundreds of marginalised teenage school girls.
Four events around the country to launch the initiative, known as Nurture a Girl, culminated in a morning of activities at Thembinkosi special needs school in Tembisa on August 14.
“We live in a patriarchal society where young women have very little voice, where violence against girls and women of all ages has reached epidemic proportions. How, then, do we expect teenage girls to excel at school and enter meaningful careers?” asks Nonkululeko Sindane, CEO of UWP Consulting and a passionate advocate for women’s rights.
The Nurture a Girl initiative will reach into communities throughout UWP’s office network, initially including Athlone in Cape Town, King Williams Town in the Eastern Cape, Richard Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, and Mamelodi and Tembisa in Gauteng.
In the first phase of the project, UWP is sponsoring 50 female learners in need of support at the selected high schools for a year.
Two of these high schools are special needs schools.
The beneficiaries have received personal hygiene kits containing all the items that teenage girls should have.
They are given structured opportunities to attend workshops and presentations, receive career advice and mentorship and to learn basic skills over the year.
The value of the annual sponsorship is R1 050 per beneficiary, but its real value lies in mentoring, ongoing opportunities and life skills.
“We are inviting other companies and individuals to come on board and help us expand the programme,” says Sindane.
“Just one girl sponsored is one more opportunity for a better future, one more chance to give a teenager the strength, courage and advice to get a good education and make a difference in the world.”
Already this call has been heeded, with 62 girls now involved in the programme thanks to sponsorships received from others and further growth is expected.
It is not only the beneficiaries of the Nurture a Girl initiative who benefit but their schools as well.
The programme at Thembinkosi School included a morning of presentations for 50 female learners by Sindane on behalf of UWP, followed by Ntibidi Rampete, a specialist in gender issues and a team from Love Life on issues affecting young girls in society.
Sindane then engaged with the 10 Nurture a Girl beneficiaries at Thembinkosi and a follow-up session was held on a knitting initiative already under way among the group.
Claudia Picarra, the marketing manager at UWP Consulting, points out that Nurture a Girl is not just about the direct beneficiaries, but about bringing change to schools and their communities.
“As our relationships develop with the girls we will find ways to meet individual needs that may go beyond the scope of the programme. We will also seek opportunities to provide further assistance to the schools that will benefit all learners. Some of the beneficiaries at Thembinkosi are finishing school this year and we hope to be able to assist in finding them employment opportunities for the future.”
“This is not just a UWP programme. The more we can involve other businesses and professionals across the spectrum, the more we can add value and change lives.”
Kedibone Thotse, an occupational therapist at Thembinkosi School for LSEN, said the dilemma facing large numbers of vulnerable children is that their ability to participate fully in learning is compromised because of their disadvantaged home environment in which their basic needs are not met.
“As the rates of absenteeism, interrupted schooling and drop out are generally higher for vulnerable children, they often fall behind and this, in turn, leads to poor performance and a higher likelihood that they stay away from school. The challenge for schools is to break this cycle,” added Thotse.
Thotse said they would like to thank UWP Consulting for offering quality education and supporting vulnerable learners to keep up with their schoolwork and achieve success.
Meanwhile, Lesego Khwetshube (20) said she has learnt to take care of herself through “Nurture a Girl” programme.
“This programme has taught me many things – to love, respect, health, hygiene, and to focus on my schooling. I really thank UWP Consulting who thought about us as young girls and be able to reach us,” added Khwetshube.
