Local organisations pamper learners ahead of back-to-school

Ekujuleni Kwenhliziyo Community Development, in collaboration with Voice It in Action and iSabelo Development Solution, hosted a two-day annual back-to-school campaign on January 12 and 13 at Zola Eco Park.

The campaign brought smiles and confidence to learners residing in Zola and Emdeni by ensuring they were school-ready through free haircuts, braiding, and shoe-polishing services.

Ekujuleni Kwenhliziyo Community Development founder and director, Khululiwe Mtshali, said the campaign is about more than just preparing learners for school, but it also seeks to play a role in ending gender-based violence (GBV) by promoting prevention, which is in line with Pillar Two of South Africa’s National Strategic Plan on GBV.

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“Through this campaign, we are trying to prevent GBV from all angles. We know that many children in our community come from vulnerable and dysfunctional backgrounds, so through this initiative, we want to help every learner feel confident and excited about going to school.

“As an organisation, we want to ensure that children who cannot afford to prepare themselves for school are not pushed into harmful choices, such as crime or exploitation by older people in order to look like other learners,” she said.

Coordinator at iSabelo Development Solutions, Sabelo Bodikwa, said the campaign aims to boost learners’ confidence, as they believe getting their hair done will brighten their mood and help them feel ready and excited to return to school.

“We want every child to feel beautiful and have a sense of belonging. We want every child in our communities not to be discouraged by their home circumstances from attending school, while also ensuring that we address the emotional and verbal bullying happening in schools,” he said.

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The campaign did not only focus on preparing learners for the school opening, but it also invited the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA) to provide information about the learnerships and online programs they offer to unemployed youth, as well as to teach the youth about basic mobile digital literacy.

“A resident of Zola, Duduzile Jola, said she is thankful to the organizers of the campaign for their effort, because it has made a positive difference in the community.

“We are very grateful for this lovely gesture. It’s always nice to know that we are not alone and that there are people willing to help us, as struggling parents, ensure our children are well cared for. I hope this doesn’t end today, but continues, and that they keep helping others who are in need,” said Jola.