Young people give back to the NGOs that helped them

Almost a generation of young people have been helped since Add Hope, KFC’s national feeding initiative which combines customer donations and CSI funds to support 137 NGOs, started eight years ago. Many success stories of young people who have been able to break out of the cycle of poverty, and are now helping others, emerge from the critical work that these NGOs are doing around the country. Three inspiring young stars, Sinanziwe Ndlovu, Tebogo Mabye and Rony Dube, joined the Hope Squad for World Hunger Day, helping to raise R4.8M in customer donations during May. Their ethos of giving back goes much deeper than that, as are all already actively engaged with the NGOs that played such an important role in shaping their young lives.

Rony Dube joined the after school activities at Boys & Girls Clubs SA in Pimville, Soweto as a high school student. The club provided the guidance, nourishment and inspiration he needed and he progressed from being a student, to a volunteer, to a junior staff member. He now facilitates programmes including Computer Lessons, Maths Club, Gardening,Passport to Manhood and Money Matters. “The club has made such a positive impact on my behaviour and on the community and I want to continue to be part of it and be an example for these kids. Life was never simple being raised by a single unemployed mom, but I never gave up. I discovered a passion for contributing to the community and bringing change.” Rony will be studying Community Development at Unisa next year and would like to manage a Boys & Girls Club in future.

Thanks to Afrika Tikkun, Sinanziwe Ndlovu is now an ambitious university student and doing her bit to add hope. “Times were tough after we lost my mother, as my sister struggled to take care of her own two children and my siblings on her own. There were many times that I had gone to bed hungry and I nearly had to give up school,” says Sinanziwe. “That’s when I found myself at Afrika Tikkun. They were able to assist me with food, but they also gave me access to a library and extra classes. That made all the difference and I was able to achieve at school.”

Sinanziwe is currently completing a diploma in Public Relations and Communications at the University of Johannesburg. She completed a learnership in child and youth care development at Afrika Tikkun and now works as a library facilitator, helping young people with reading skills, public speaking and homework support. “I am passionate about giving back and I see how Add Hope gives these young children an opportunity to focus on their education and not worry about where their next meal is coming from,” says Sinanziwe. “I come from a family of less educated people, I am the first to finish high school, get a qualification and even the first to set foot in the soil of America. I want young people to be inspired by my journey and gain hope for their own lives despite difficult circumstances. This is what Add Hope means to me, allowing children to dream again.”

Born in Hillbrow to a single mother and surrounded by gangs and crime, young Tebogo Mabye seemed destined for struggle. Fortunately, he found meals and a safe place to go after school at MES, a partner of Add Hope that is funded by donations that KFC customers make every day. “When you give a child a meal, you tap into their heart,” says Tebogo. “You show that child that you care about them and you earn the right to influence that child. Add Hope gave MES a ticket to get into my world, so that they could understand, love and influence me.”

Tebogo now works for the MES team in Hillbrow as a co-ordinator of the youth enrichment programme. “I could have been one of the kids I see on the streets, kids in gangs, dropping out of school, taking drugs – but MES has helped me to turn that around and actually become a role model. And that is the change I want to be for a child there today. I want to help those kids that are exactly like we were, before it’s too late.”

All three agree that being part of the Hope Squad, which saw them showing KFC customers where their donations go through virtual reality experiences, was a powerful experience. “It was exciting to show people that their donations are making an incredible difference. Unemployment is growing and there are so many parents who are just struggling to feed their families. With Add Hope, kids are really motivated to go to school and youth centres because they have have meals cooked for them, and pre-school kids are getting the important nutrition they need to thrive. Personally, I am so proud of KFC’s efforts to alleviate the challenges these kids face and help them grow,” says Rony.

Tebogo chimes in, “If you need proof that Add Hope works, we’re living proof. Initiatives like this that get everyone can be a part of are going to have a lasting effect on the future of the kids in this country. I see it every day.”

To find out more, visit www.addhope.co.za or #addhope

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