Hope to Infinity donate school shoes to Mpumelelo Primary School

One-hundred-and-fifty learners at Mpumelelo Primary School in Tswelopele will no longer go to school with torn shoes thanks to Hope to Infinity who donated new school shoes on April 20.

The founder of Hope to Infinity, Nomcebo Yaka, said they noticed that there is a high number of children going to school without proper school shoes.

“Mostly it is because they come from disadvantaged families, this results in children losing self-esteem and makes them the target of bullying. We believe that there is a lot that you can get from a simple pair of school shoes. A shoe that fits properly can enhance self-confidence,” added Yaka.

The organisation, with assistance from Pep stores, managed to donate 150 pairs of school shoes.

“We are proud to say it was a success. One-hundred-and-fifty learners from Tswelopele Primary School have benefited from this initiative this year. Seeing children smile pushes us to do more work and continue to reach more learners. This means we will keep more children in school and make going to school fun and exciting,” said Yaka. She added they thank Mpumelelo Primary School for allowing them to donate to their learners.

“We looked for a school to donate to and we were referred to Mpumelelo Primary School, so we visited them. We realised the children need our assistance and support and we made sure that they received their brand new school shoes. Since the project started in March 2013, we have donated over 200 pairs of school shoes and have made a positive impact on over 1 000 people through our tailor-made programmes. These programmes include school shoes donation, school holiday programmes, educational trips and skills development programmes,” explained Yaka.

“We will continue to make a difference and continue to change more lives, the project will happen again soon, as we are still looking for another school to donate to,” she continued.

Hope to Infinity is a non-profit organisation that mitigates and provides solutions (together with the community and schools) to social challenges such as bullying, lack of self-esteem, negligence of children, women and child abuse, career indecision, and lack of food and shelter. They also assist youngsters with the ability to cope with the transition from primary to secondary school and into the adult world, which if not addressed could lead to substance abuse, crime and teenage pregnancy. This will, in turn, have a negative impact on the youth of Tembisa and a greater South Africa as a whole.

Linah Lepuru, a parent of one of the children who received a pair of shoes, said they are very thankful for the donation and hope young people will make a difference in the community.

“We appreciate the support by this young person who saw the need to uplift and motivate our children and us as parents. We had no money to buy new school shoes for the children due to unemployment,” added Lepuru.

Meanwhile, Rose Manthata, another parent of a learner who benefited from the donation, said may the good Lord prosper and shine the light on Hope to Infinity organisation while they continue to make a difference in the lives of needy people.

Mpumelelo Primary School administrator Fatwani Nongovhela said they are honoured and humbled to have been chosen as the recipient of this donation.

“The children now have proper school shoes and this has really encouraged them to take pride in their education. Hope to Infinity have given our children everything to improve the quality of their education. As a school in need, we would appreciate other organisations rendering various educational services to consider us,” said Nongovhela.