Young South African social entrepreneur wants to collect and hand out 100 000 schoolbags to underprivileged kids around the country.
Despite efforts by the government, South African youth are still confronted by a myriad of challenges including limited access to education due to social imbalances. As indicated by the National Development Plan, these challenges can be eliminated by 2030 through a collective effort by the citizens and the government.
A young man from Wattville in Benoni, Xolane Ngobozana is contributing towards this plan through his campaign, the National Donate a Schoolbag Campaign.
The 31 year old social entrepreneur is one of 2000 young change makers across South Africa who are finding innovative ways to transform their communities and the country as a whole. These young leaders, also known as “Activators” belong to ACTIVATE! Change Drivers, a network that connects and equips them with necessary knowhow and resources to thrive in their respective efforts.
Ngobozana launched the National Donate a Schoolbag Campaign at the beginning of this year to help ease the burdens of the South African education system.
“The Department of Education ensures that the youth receives quality education. However, there are many factors that are disrupting the system. For example, a lot of learners in disadvantaged areas carry their books in plastic bags as their parents can’t afford decent schoolbags for them.”
“As a result, their books are damaged and they easily lose their stationery, which affects their overall performance at school. Some of them end up dropping out and the cycle of poverty regenerates,” he says.
To partly salvage the situation, the National Donate a Schoolbag Campaign provides underprivileged learners across the country with decent school bags and other basic learning tools.
The goal is to raise at least 100 000 school bags between by the end of 2017 and donate them to more than 100 schools all around the country.
So far, Ngobozana and his team of provincial coordinators have raised 350 schoolbags and some stationery, which were donated to underprivileged learners and child-headed homes in Eastern Cape, Gauteng, Limpopo and KwaZulu Natal.
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Ngobozana continues, “My vision for the National Donate a Schoolbag Campaign goes beyond just providing schoolbags and stationery to learners. The campaign is a transformational movement with an ultimate goal to secure the future of our country. It is important to ensure that our future leaders are armed with education and the right skills in order to reshape South Africa.”
To raise funds for the campaign, Ngobozana and his team have been hosting a series of fundraising events in all nine provinces. The team is determined to reach its target and will continue hosting the fundraising events through to the end of 2017.
For more information on the National Donate a Schoolbag Campaign or to donate contact Ngobozane on 061 377 0745/0730092953 or ndasbcamapaign@gmail.com.
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