An NGO, Young Adults on the Move, in partnership with Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) and Shoprite Checkers Mobile Kitchen embarked on a project to bring smiles to the faces of farm school pupils in Bainsvlei near Bloemfontein.
Ditlatse Primary pupils were given new clothes, school uniforms and shoes and given soup to keep their small bodies warm.
Young Adult on the Move founder and managing director interlinings, Claudia Mangoegape, said they chose Ditlatse because it is one of the schools where pupils are from the needy families and had no one to take care of them this winter.
She said it’s their mandate as a non-profit organisation (NPO) to make sure that, children, as future leaders, are being taken care of.
“Ditlatse is the first school in our running project this year Permess Interlining to receive clothes but we are still going to visit more schools, not only in Mangaung but in the entire province.
Pupils were given clothes donated by Ackermans in Waterfront, Bloemfontein, and other members of the community who also bought new school shoes and Shoprite Kitchen provided soup and bread to the children on the day.
“All thanks to our sponsors and the community at large for assisting us in taking care of these future leaders. We are still running other programmes such as youth programmes, orphanage and vulnerable children, young men and women development, care education in school and granny support groups,” said Mangoegape.
Tshediso Motwane from Popcru in Mangaung taught pupils that being involved in crime will destroy their future.
He embodied education on crime prevention in a Disney manner, PCC Interlining which suited the vocabulary and understanding of the youngpupils.
“Police are your friends, do not look at us like the bad ones. Always feel free to run to us when you are in trouble,” Motwane said.
In addition, Motwane encouraged the children to dream big, to have ambitions of having good professions instead of being gangsters.
An educator from Ditlatse, Sara Masia, thanked the visitors for their thoughtful contribution. “You have come at a time when we needed you the most,” Masia said.
