On 29 April, PDBY met up with the community engagement officers of House Humanities and the Junior Tukkie Student Ambassadors Society (JTSAS) to discuss their charity drive partnership, which is running from 27 April to 30 June.
The charity drive is centred around actively practising the community service aspirations of former president Nelson Mandela in the run-up to the Mandela Day celebrations on 18 July. Similar to other Mandela-inspired initiatives, the charity drive aims to make a positive impact on society; however, it has a unique focus on bettering the lives of those within the UP community.
Zwivhuya Sephodi, the community engagement chair of House Humanities, explained that the purpose of the drive was to help students within the university who are struggling to meet their basic needs such as food and clothing on their own. “This initiative is about students helping each other to survive through collaboration,” Sephodi stated. “[And] beyond the students who are lacking, there are also children out there who are unable to meet their basic needs.”
Sephodi further explained that the second aim of this charity drive was to help these children from areas categorised as less affluent, especially the ones about to enter the university space. The drive’s organisers realise that most of these children do not know what opportunities and services the different faculty houses and administrations can provide them with. According to Sephodi, it is necessary to begin helping these children before they become university students so that they are better informed about the university structures available to help them. Therefore, House Humanities has partnered with the JTSAS community engagement office, as this office has a more nuanced understanding of high schools in and around Pretoria. Sephodi explained, “[This] helps us achieve our targets with these children.”
JTSAS community engagement officer Thandekile Makate stated, “Before House Humanities approached us, we already had donations. But now the new plan is to not only donate, but to sell some of the donations at a thrift store, so we can raise money for other needs such as books and sanitary products.” Makate added, “Illiteracy and failing to read with understanding are major problem[s] in our country, so it is important for us to address [these problems] during this charity drive alongside other issues like the basic needs gap.”
Makate continued, “Sometimes external communities do not necessarily want clothing donations, as they may have adequate provision of that, but [they] have other needs. So, the thrift store sale proceeds would be for us to [fulfill], where possible, the exact needs of those whom we are giving to.” Makate concluded, “We may not be able to solve the problem of poverty on our own, but if I do my work and someone else does their work within the community, we are doing something which is meaningful and impactful to society.”
As the adage goes, “charity begins at home”, and the charity drive partnership between the Community Engagement Offices of House Humanities and JTSAS certainly proves that this is true. The drop-off locations for clothing, non-perishable foods, stationary and sanitary products can be found at the Humanities Building foyer, IT Building computer laboratories, House Humanities Office HB 9-33 and JT headquarters (next to Student Service Centre).
If you are interested in taking part, please contact either zwivhuya.hhcommunityengagement@gmail.com from House Humanities or u21453864@tuks.co.za from JTSAS.
