Youth help the needy
Group donate food to desperate families
group of concerned young people from Ilinge decided to help their community by donating 20 food parcels to needy residents.
Members of the Illinge Youth Initiative, who dug deep into their own pockets, handed over the groceries at the Ilinge Multi-Purpose Hall on Saturday.
The groceries were given to families still waiting for government food parcels.
The group s spokesperson, Siyabulela
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Sikalika, said 60 families were identified for assistance by the local clinic and non-profit organisation, Isibindi, which assists poor families and deals with other issues.
We started collecting money from
“interested young people in our area last month and decided to buy groceries for the 20 families with the little we had,” Sikalika said.
We asked the clinic and Isibindi to identify
“homes that urgently needed assistance so we may start with them.
We hope more contributions will come so
“all families who need relief during lockdown may be assisted.”
The beneficiaries who were informed to gather at the hall on Saturday arrived earlier than expected to receive the much-needed relief. I was so touched when I arrived at the hall
“just after 9am to find the residents waiting for us after we had said we would meet at 10am. That meant the situation at home was dire
“and the need for food was urgent, and that really touched me.
Some might think the number of people we “helped is insignificant, but I know this meant something important to them because they did not expect it.”
One of the beneficiaries, Nomatse Mei, who could not contain her gratitude, said the groceries would make a big difference as she was dependent on her children s social grant.
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I am thankful to all who contributed
“towards this cause to ensure that my family and others that received food parcels get relief and will be fed this month,” Mei said.
Sikalika said the youth hoped to formalise what they had started into an organisation that would help the needy people of Ilinge.
In a separate event, non-profit EduMthombo, which focuses on empowering the youth with educational tools and training, donated masks to two Whittlesea schools this week for Grade 7 and matric pupils.
The company collected more than 400 masks to hand out to rural and township schools in the Eastern and Western Cape.
A member of the organisation, Wandisile Mdepa, who is based in the Eastern Cape, said Cimezile Primary and Ntunja High Schools each received 30 masks for pupils.
We have approached a local SPAR in
“
Whittlesea and they are in the process of procuring masks for more schools in the Whittlesea area.
We are working on sourcing sanitisers from “
Cape Peninsula University of Technology. The next project will focus on getting
“boosters for internet connection to help rural schools with online learning.
There is poor network connectivity which
“prohibits connections for educational purposes.
The boosters will not only assist teachers
“with online learning but local clinics as well,” said Mdepa.
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