Poetry session to address poverty
JOHANNESBURG – Pookolala learned to talk late and needs therapy because of the trauma and deprivation she has suffered.
In commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child held annually on 11 October, Afrika Tikkun will host a charity event to support those in need in the community of Johannesburg.
The celebration of this day aims to acknowledge the needs and challenges of girls around the world whilst also promoting empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.
The organisation will use the story of Pookolala which, according to a statement they released, is a story of a five-year-old that breaks hearts. The story talks about the girl’s life – her mother dropped out in Grade 9 in order to have her, and never returned to school. “She has just given birth to her third child, and she is not yet 22,” said the statement.
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“Pookolala’s grandmother looks after her because her mom is addicted to drugs and alcohol, but gogo has not been able to find work either since her diagnosis with cancer, although she is now clear of the disease. When potential employers hear about her condition they back off.”
Pookolala learned to talk late and needs therapy because of the trauma and deprivation she has suffered. The organisation claims her family is a demonstration of generational poverty. “There are no men in the family – the women are on their own, surviving on grants, a small income from recycling and the support of Afrika Tikkun in Braamfontein who are also trying to help her with play therapy.”
The organisation asked the question: What is the future for families headed by children and single women? It added that sometimes these children live with family and at other times they have to live on the street or in dangerous, temporary shelters pulled together haphazardly – their lives, health, bodies and possessions at risk.
According to last year’s issue of South African Child Gauge by the Children’s Institute, poverty in South Africa is highest for young people age zero to 17, and for girls in particular. The statistics also said that 66,8 per cent of children in South Africa live in poverty and 29 per cent of children live below the food poverty line.
Afrika Tikkun said, “It is girls who feel the brunt of that poverty and disadvantage worst of all.”
Activist and a poet Nontsikelo Khunju, who comes from the same area, will host a poetry session in her quest to raise funds for girls living under poverty line.
Her activism for the rights of young women is expressed through spoken word. Her poem, African Child, was written for Pookolala’s story, with Johnny Sklar on guitar and mixed by Chanda Threezy. African Child will be released on Spotify on International Day of the Girl Child to raise awareness about girl child poverty in South Africa. All proceeds will go to the Young Urban Women Programme at Afrika Tikkun.
Details: claudia@paddingtonstationpr.co.za
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