A group of students from IIE MSA and IIE Varsity College Sandton came together to celebrate Mandela Day on August 1 by giving back to the community.

The students volunteered at Umnotho for Empowerment Community, a self-empowered non-profit organisation based in Muldersdrift that focuses on housing, social enterprises, and community development.

The MSA Cares team is a student-led volunteer committee that supports community development projects, and they donated 60kg of chicken, 50kg of rice, vegetables and spices. Using these ingredients, the students helped to prepare over 200 meals for the community members who are beneficiaries of the Umnotho’s soup kitchen initiative. The residents also received oranges along with the prepared meals.

One of the student volunteers, Ayabonga Vesi, said the experience was heartwarming.

“Seeing people’s faces light up when we served the meals was my favourite part. It was impactful, and these kinds of initiatives inspire me to continue contributing to the community.”

In addition to the meal preparation, the students also planted 67 trays of seedlings. These are meant to help in the development of the growing community.

Through this, the volunteers planned to make a difference in the lives of others. The event was a success, and the volunteers believe that they have touched the hearts of those they served and that their efforts will have a lasting impact on them.