Schools join Act Africa’s fight against bullying

The Awareness for Child Trafficking Africa (Act Africa) is continuing with the rollout of its Yes2Kindness (Y2K) puzzle in Eldorado Park schools, including Heerengracht Primary School and Boekenhout Primary School, on September 15.

The initiative, which started at Aldridge Primary School, is combined with the You Are Worth campaign. It aims to uplift self-worth in children who face circumstances that diminish it, especially bullying.

It encompasses a short anti-bullying programme for children aged five to 10 and will continue at E.W. Hobbs Primary School and Feed My Lambs Primary School, among others.

Hillary Leong, co-founder, chairperson and CEO of Act Africa, said the organisation chose to focus on Eldorado Park because of the challenges faced by children in the area.

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“The school is in the hotspot of Eldorado Park. It is faced with all the kind of negative vices, and when I say negative vices, I’m talking about gangsterism, bullying in the schools, substance abuse and human trafficking,” she said.

Leong said Act Africa works with schools to assist teachers with issues affecting learners, which can then be incorporated into subject teaching.

She said parents should pay attention to changes in their children’s normal behaviour, as this could be an indicator that something is wrong.

“When you see a child who is normally very bubbly, and you start seeing them withdrawing, that is the first indicator. When you see a child who is normally quiet, suddenly become over-bubbly and energetic, it’s something to question,” she said.

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Leong said parents should also be alert to unexplained bruises, gifts that children receive and changes in who they trust or confide in.

She warned that grooming can start with seemingly harmless gifts, promises or offers of support, particularly where children experience poverty, family breakdown or other vulnerabilities.

“Perpetrators exploit them. They will provide them with what parents cannot provide,” she said.

Leong said grooming could create a false sense of belonging and cause children to lose trust in those who are meant to protect them.

She described trafficking as manipulative and said children could be groomed over time before threats, force or fraud are introduced.

For parents who notice behavioural changes or signs of abuse, Leong urged them to seek help and report suspected child abuse.

She said parents should approach the police, the Department of Social Development and the school, while professional counselling should also be considered where possible.

“By law, you’re obliged to report any form or kind of child abuse that you become aware of,” she said.
Farzana Chothia, departmental head for the foundation phase at Heerengracht Primary School, said programmes such as the Y2K initiative were important because they helped children learn positive values from an early age.

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“I think it’s always important to instil good values with the learners and to teach them right from wrong,” she said.

Chothia said learners were exposed to violence and gangsterism in the community and that some did not receive the necessary guidance at home.

She said teaching children about kindness, right and wrong and what to do when they are bullied could give them lessons they could remember and carry with them.

The school has discipline measures and strategies in place to manage bullying. Minor cases are handled by teachers, while more serious cases are referred to departmental heads and then to the deputy principal or principal.Parents are called in where necessary, while social workers or the district are involved when social issues are found to be contributing to a learner’s behaviour, she explained.

According to Leong, about 23 000 children have had access to the organisation’s programme since its rollout began in 2024.

She said the organisation relies on sponsors and donations and is appealing to corporates to support the continued rollout of the puzzle and other anti-violence tools.

“We really need sponsors. We’re trying to raise funds as best as we can. We are not government funded at all,” Leong said.