The lives of pupils of the Boipelo Intermediary School in Kagiso never will be the same again, as a group of friends and business people joined hands to enhance the lives and education of the children.
The friends, going by the name Madambadamba, recently visited the school and decided to lend a helping hand to the needy and destitute pupils of the school in a bid to boost their morale.
The group, better known as Dambies, is a social keep-fit soccer team that was formed by old friends many years ago. The group of philanthropists donated more than 100 Drimac-type jackets and more than 50 squeeze water bottles to the pupils.
Leading from the front was Mokete Morobane, a former businessman and an academic, who captured the minds of the pupils during the school assembly with his insight about the importance of education.
“This is one of the most important and beautiful days our team has ever enjoyed. We want to make sure that we look after you so that you can come to school without problems in the cold,” Morobane said.
“We decided to visit your school and make a donation to needy pupils of the school so that they can concentrate on their education and make their teachers proud at the end of the year. We are here so say we love you and we want to see you progressing in life and become better people,” he added.
One of the team members, Japhta Motsumi who is a teacher at a local school, said the small act of kindness was meant to motivate pupils in their education.
“We make these donations on an annual basis and we want to see pupils doing well in their education without any hindrance. Last year we donated school shoes to the school and this year we decided to provide jackets so that they could keep out the cold,” Motsumi said.
All this was made possible by individual members of the team through donations and sponsors, and has proven that a small act of kindness indeed can change the way many experience the world.
ANC Ward Councillor Tshepo Nzwane graced the occasion and was pleased with what Dambies did.
He said teams such as Dambies were rare and society needed them.
“As a representative of the Mogale City Local Municipality we want to thank the team for what they have done for our pupils and we hope that they will extend their help to other needy pupils in and around Kagiso,” Nzwane said.
“This act really shows how private-public partnerships can benefit our society moving forward. We also want to thank the school for allowing the team to be part in the upbringing of its pupils, and also hope that the pupils will cherish the gift,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the pupils and educators was Sarah Moiloanyane, who was excited about the donations and said, “We are very happy as a school for these pupils who are the beneficiaries of these goodies. We hope that they will concentrate in class and come to school in warm clothes.
“We also want to thank the donors for the act of goodwill that they have done for this school, and we wish them luck in their future endeavours with regard to helping our pupils. This shows that they care about our pupils as well as their education.”
