The Afrikan Peer Growth Network carried out a Dignity Pack Drive at Botebo-Tsebo Secondary School, in Zone 14, Sebokeng near Vaal in Gauteng in November 2023. The Dignity Pack Drive is APGroN’s attempt to contribute to the restoration of the dignity of the Afrikan child, by donating sanitary packs for distribution to children in need. The Drive was made possible by donations collected by APGroN from its board of directors and other stakeholders. Our team liaised with a teacher and mentor at the school, Ms Dladla, assisted by Ms Masupha under the auspices of the school’s Science Eco Club. The club is made up of mainly grade 9 pupils under the mentorship of these two teachers.

In attendance at the handing over event was the School’s Principal, Mr Ndaba and his Deputy, Mr Sontaha, as well as Ms Mofokeng.   Representing the Science Eco Club were its president Katleho, treasurer Tholoane, bookkeeper Nompumelelo, executive member Karabo,  Prudence, who aspires to further her studies in nature conservation, and Tharollo who aspires to become an aeronautical engineer. In their acceptance speeches, they acknowledged the role played by APGroN and how it restored the dignity of the Afrikan child. In our conversations with them, Tholoane, an aspiring pilot mentioned how the club had assisted them in developing self-confidence and augmented their public speaking skills. The president corroborated these assertions, adding that the club not only instils cleanliness within pupils and their immediate academic environment, but also positively impacts the behaviour of learners in keeping their environment clean in their neighbourhoods where they reside. Bookkeeper Nompumelelo, a very bubbly speaker, indicated that she has gained the necessary confidence to pursue a career as an entrepreneur, in order to create jobs and contribute to the country’s economic growth. Execute member Karabo spoke eloquently on the value of cleanliness to each learner, and how that should be manifested by each member of the club, so that it can trickly down to all learners. Tharollo also revealed that her  aeronautical engineering aspirations were inspired by a desire to improve safety and efficiency of air travel through the design and manufacture of energy efficient and environmentally friendly power plant systems and engines.

In discussion with the school management, Principal Ndaba indicated that the school has seen some significant improvements in its pass rates over the past few years. He attributed this to the dedication of the educators at the school, and the role played by clubs such as the Science Eco Club in shaping the mindsets of learners. Deputy Sontaha also mentioned that as a no-fee school located in a township, some of the learners they receive need a holistic approach to mentorship and teaching and learning in order to produce and all rounded product ready for university.

A handful of personnel from the APGroN Office formed part of the delegation. In attendance were Chairperson of the APGroN Board of Directors Dr Lindelwa Mhlongo, Chief Executive Officer of APGroN, Prof Angelo Dube, as well as Media Interns, Mr Thomas Mabala and Mr Tendani Musekwa who handled the media side of things, including interviews and photography.

The Chairperson, Dr Lindelwa Mhlongo appreciated the school for accepting our overtures and agreeing to work together with us in future collaborations. She explained that as an organisation, APGroN is interested in the welfare of the Afrikan child, and the mentorship required to ensure that in these young learners, future professionals are birthed. She elaborated on the importance of the role played by Ms Dladla and Ms Masupha as mentors to the learners and lauded the school management for supporting an initiative of this nature. Dr Mhlongo further mentioned that whilst the initial donation was aimed at the girl child, the organisation does not want to leave the boy child unassisted. The decision to focus on the girl child in this round of donation was influenced by limited resources, however, as the organisation grows its donor base, the Dignity Pack Drive will also include male learners. She also extended an invitation to a select number of scholars to come and observe proceedings during the upcoming UNISA-APGroN 3rd Annual Conference in Pretoria between 6 and 8 December 2023.

In closing Professor Dube thanked the school management for supporting the initiative and indicated that the organisation is looking forward to working in close collaboration with the school in the areas of law and aviation, the two areas the organisation seeks to focus on. He also touched on the importance of keeping such mentorship initiatives alive and supported for the benefit of the Afrikan child.