A community initiative in Ward 22, Nkayi, Matabeleland North, is seeking to turn small monthly contributions into sustained support for schools and vulnerable children, with its founders calling for greater community participation and donor support.
The Mpande Ward 22 Foundation has already supported six of the seven schools in the ward with sports kits, sports equipment, textbooks, uniforms and cultural equipment.
Foundation representative Cynthia Khakhatha said the initiative grew out of an existing Mpande Ward 22 group with about 350 members, which traditionally assisted members during illness, bereavement and other difficult circumstances.
“It is a group where we came together as descendants of Ward 22 in Nkayi to assist whenever a member is sick, has passed away or loses a close relative,” Khakhatha said.
She said members later realised their support should not be limited to difficult moments, but should also contribute to positive development in their community.
“That is where we established the foundation, so that we would not only assist during painful situations but also assist during good times in our community, especially helping schools with whatever little we have,” she said.
Khakhatha said the idea came from the administratoof Mpande Ward 22 after she proposed supporting all schools in the ward.
She was asked to prepare a proposal outlining how the foundation would operate, leading to its establishment.
Although the foundation has not attracted all 350 members of the wider group, she said its founders remained committed to the cause.
The foundation’s main objective is to support schools and children in the community.
Its motto is “Power is Unity.”
She said the foundation placed particular emphasis on sport because some children who might struggle academically could excel in sporting activities.
Having now assisted six schools, she said the foundation was ready to take the next step towards formalisation.
The initiative is funded largely through contributions from its members.
Khakhatha said 55 members currently contribute R100 each every month.
“It may not be a lot in the eyes of some people, but it brings great joy to schoolchildren.”
She said school authorities had been cooperative, with the foundation responding to requests from individual schools.
Katasa Primary School, for example, requested textbooks from Grade One to Seven, while Mpumelelo High School received cultural kits and coaches.
The foundation’s biggest challenge, however, remains funding.
She said the motivation for establishing the foundation came from observing the challenges faced by children in local schools.
Ward 22 has seven schools, and the foundation wants to eventually support all of them.
But Khakhatha said its ambitions extend beyond providing school equipment.
“We want to enter the community and perhaps identify one or two children per level, children who did not get the opportunity to go to school, and assist them with fees, uniforms and stationery,” she said.
The foundation also wants to introduce youth programmes aimed at developing young people in Ward 22.
Khakhatha, who was born in 1979 in Hompane, Mpande Ward 22, said her strong attachment to the community was a major motivation behind the initiative.
