WRITTEN FROM THE HEART
Amid the invisible threat of Covid-19 infection, education offers hope, writes William Western
A 12-YEAR-OLD Wild Coast lad says he “feels like the breadwinner of his family” after coming second in a writing competition and receiving a R750 food hamper.
Such is life in Mzamba, a rural village adjacent to the plush Wild Coast Casino, on the Kwazulu-natal South Coast and Transkei border. The contrasts between the two are immense – a microcosm of South Africa where the poorest of the poor have been hardest hit by the Covid-19 lockdown.
“Street vendors suffer a lot since they can’t sell and provide for their families,” wrote Mfundo Tshezi.
But the Grade 7 pupil did not only dwell on hardships.
“I live in a warm home with love. I eat more healthily because I am not allowed to buy chips and sweets.”
He said he missed his friends and school, especially natural science “because it gives me a clear knowledge of nature”.
Lockdown, he wrote, was “one of the hardest things my family has ever experienced”, but he had kept himself busy, attending to household chores, looking after his dogs, watering plants, and doing lots of thinking “under a tree in the back yard”.
“I personally think it was a wise decision for the president to announce a lock down to prevent the spread of Covid-19,” wrote Mfundo.
In the meantime, staying home was the best option “since we’re waiting on government to get a vaccine”.
But what might happen if no vaccine is found soon, troubles Mfundo. “What will happen to us?” he asked.
Mfundo’s entry was one of more than 30 in the competition catering for grades 6 and 7 pupils at Ithuba Wildcoast Community College, a notfor-profit private primary school, built and funded by Austrian benefactors.
The competition was organised by the environmental journalism training agency Roving Reporters with the modest prizes sponsored by Founders Golf Tournament – the sole South African funder of the school.
The joint winning entries were by Onele Dimane and Khanya Mkhonza, earning them food vouchers of R1 000 each and praise from the adjudicators for their “mature understanding of the situation” and “wonderfully refreshing” observations.
The acute impact of the Covid 19 lockdown and fears of a coronavirus outbreak in Mzamba were a central thread in many narratives.
“At home we have never suffered hunger ever since I was born, but now we are out of groceries and no one is able to go to work, or buy blankets, warm clothes or even medicine for fever,” wrote Onele, whose family have been using limited supplies of Sunlight soap for sanitising.
She described the college as a fun and adventurous school with its own vegetable garden that contributed to nutritious lunches that pupils received every school day.
On reading the entries, Founders chairperson John Cheshire arranged an additional 180 food hampers for pupils from the most needy homes.
An Austrian volunteer, Theo Delort-laval, has since started a soup kitchen in Mzamba, entirely funded on donations from friends abroad.
While Amahle Nqadini, who came third, also misses the school lunches, she said her biggest concern was catching up missed lessons, and how long it would take “for life to be normal again”.
“My favourite subject is life skills. It teaches us how to carry ourselves in life, careers we can follow, and freedom of expression. I can’t wait to go back to school, but what will happen if coronavirus is still out there.”
Amid these fears, Roving Reporters is rolling out the next round in its series of Covid-19-related story writing competitions for schools in rural areas of the Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-natal. The theme is, Life After Covid-19: The Future We Want.
To find out more about the journalism-themed writing competitions contact Roving Reporters director Fred Kockott at 083 277 8907 or email fredk@rovingreporters.co.za