The Durban University of Technology (DUT) Hands of Compassion (HoC) donated 35 pairs of school shoes to disadvantaged learners at Qhudeni Primary School in Nsingabantu Trust Farm, Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal on Thursday, 23 March 2023.
DUT HoC team, Ms Tracy Khuzwayo and Mrs Nonhlanhla Nyandeni handing over school shoes to Qhudeni Primary School learners.
The school shoes donated to Qhudeni Primary School were collected by the DUT Hands of Compassion team during the Adopt-A-Child for the School Shoes Donation Drive initiated last month, February 2023. The campaign saw about 80 individual donors comprising of DUT staff and students digging into their pockets and buying school shoes to be donated to disadvantaged children at rural schools.
The Qhudeni Primary School Principal, Mrs Maureen Dunge expressed her gratitude to DUT for the donation and for relieving the plight of some of the vulnerable children at the school.
“Our school is very old and has produced so many learners and some ended up being DUT graduates. We thank DUT for restoring the dignity of these learners by ensuring that they do not end up feeling ashamed of coming to school because they feel they are different from other learners. We are a quantile one school which means we are amongst the poorest schools in KwaZulu-Natal. However, despite our working conditions and old buildings, we continue to dedicate ourselves to the betterment of our children, who are the leaders of tomorrow,” said Mrs Dunge.
She raised that one of her concerns is that there is an old building that is no longer safe for the children and wishes that they could have it renovated before it leads to any harm on the learners.
One of the learners at the school trying on her new pair of school shoes.
Speaking on behalf of the parents, the School Governing Body Chairperson, Mrs Zodwa Gabela said they are grateful to DUT for the donation. She added that DUT’s visit brought them hope that more donations are coming their way as they are in desperate need of help.
“We do have faith that our school will look like other schools one day and have all the resources it needs. Most of the parents here are unemployed and struggle to buy school uniforms. This donation will also boost the children’s self-esteem, they will feel loved and important. It gets painful for some children when they are dressing up for school and realize that their shoes are worn-out. We know that children at school tease one another but today the children who received the shoes will be coming to school with pride,” said Mrs Gabela.
DUT Engagement Practitioner, Ms Phumzile Xulu thanked the school for the warm welcome. She expressed that the donation came from DUT staff and students who wanted to put a smile on the faces of these children and give them hope for a better future. Ms Xulu revealed that through their Adopt-A-Child for the School Shoes Donation Drive, they collected 117 pairs of shoes with one of the students, Ms Shannon Pillay who is completing her Advanced Diploma in Food and Nutrition donating 27 pairs of shoes.
The DUT HoC will be going back to Nkandla soon after the school’s break to donate more shoes to two schools namely; Macala Primary School and Manyane Primary School. On Thursday, 30 March 2023, the team will head to Mzinto Primary School in Mt Frere, Eastern Cape for another school shoes handover.
Pictured: Learners at Qhudeni Primary School after receiving their new pairs of school shoes.
Simangele Zuma
