Change starts with you
Text by Luthando Kortjaas Pictures by Jabu Dlamini
Source: This article is taken from the July 2011 issue of BONA
Influential leader, Mahatma Gandhi, once said: “Be the change you want to see in the world” and as we commemorate Nelson Mandela Day this month, BONA speaks to everyday heroes who, just like our favourite former president, are making big changes in small and great ways in their communities.
Making a difference
Doctor Tirivanhu Gunguwo, originally from Zimbabwe, has dedicated most of his time and money to looking after 61 homeless children between the ages of eight and 24; some even live with him. He’s just recently sent the eldest of the boys to university, to ensure that he has a brighter future:
My interaction with these children started while they were in the care of a friend, Siyabonga Mhlongo. I used to take them food and clothes.
Unfortunately, Siyabonga passed away in 2006 and these children were left with nowhere to go. Some went back to the streets, but a few took it upon themselves to come and look for me. Luckily, they found me.
I didn’t have the heart to turn them away and took 15 of them to my home. To accommodate the rest, I rented a house in Florida, Roodepoort.
Over the past few years I have grown so close to each and every one of them; they see me as their father.
I help them with their homework after school, attend social events with them, and make sure that I am always available when they need me. I might have become their father by default, but they know they can rely on me for anything.
I do everything from my own pocket and shy away from donations because it stigmatises the children and reminds them that they have been abandoned. I don’t want them to have to rely or survive on charity.
I want them to lead as normal lives as possible and for them to feel like they are part of a family. They are a part of mine after all.
Challenges & Sacrifices
I’d hoped that by this time I would have bought a house for them, but it’s been a challenge. People don’t like the idea of having former street kids as their neighbours. Although discouraging, I continue looking for a place they can call their home.
My relationships and social life have also suffered. I’m a business man but because I’m also a parent first, I can’t afford to be on a board of directors, for example, because most of my time belongs to my children”.
Why I wouldn’t want it any other way:
Looking after these children is a calling and a purpose with which God has blessed me.
Though balancing life can be a challenge at times, through His strength I am embracing the role He has given me, taking care of these beautiful angels.
Making a difference
Ntombi Makgwe, from Soweto, Joburg, runs a nursery school. Though many of the parents can’t afford the little she charges them, she’d never turn a child away:
Living in Orlando East, Soweto, I’m used to seeing single mothers struggle to survive on the child grant they receive each month. But I couldn’t look on and do nothing. Every parent wants the best for their child; it is not easy to watch your child play in the streets when they could be playing, socializing with other children, and learning something new each day at creche.
This is why many of the parents at my school don’t pay a cent, this is how I make a difference.
I also welcome all children, from those with delayed development to kids who are suffering from attention deficit disorder, or are just slow learners.
Challenges & Sacrifices
My biggest challenge is not the lack of money, as most may think. It is looking after children with special needs that is a daunting task, but also a rewarding one and I have chosen to see these children all as equals.
To see their progress, no matter how slow it might be, is truly something to behold. A boy who joined my school couldn’t talk at all and was suffering from delayed development. Now, although he does not speak fluently yet, he is trying to talk and his parents are amazed by his progress. Such moments inspire me to do more, and bring a smile to my face.
Why I wouldn’t have it any other way
I might not be touching a million lives but I know the little that I am doing makes a huge impact and difference in the lives of the people that I do reach. I sleep better every day knowing that I have positively changed someone’s life.
Making a difference
Thabisile Makhaye, from Impendle, outside Pietermaritzburg, is a manager on the Transnet Phelophepa Healthcare Train, which travels to rural areas to offer medical assistance to people in need. The train delivers primary healthcare and health education to people who live in the most remote areas of rural South Africa:
I have been working on the train since the beginning of the year. Every year we travel for nine months, targeting South Africa’s most rural towns, to deliver healthcare services to communities in need. Most of the towns we pass through are characterised by poverty, unemployment and insufficient healthcare services. I chose to work here because I grew up in rural KwaZulu-Natal and know what it feels like to be sick and have to walk for miles on end to get to the nearest clinic. This is my way of giving back to the people. Nothing is more fulfilling than being able to help someone in need, to see them walk away with a smile on their face, and to know that I made a difference in their lives.
Although I am a manager on the train, I’m very much hands-on and make sure that the nurses take great care with our patients, uphold high health standards, and practice ubuntu. I might be tasked with looking after my patients’ physical wellbeing, but I make sure they are emotionally fit as well.
Challenges & Sacrifices
Spending so much time on the train means I am away from my family and I miss them very much. Every now and again we get long weekends off to reconnect with friends and family, but sometimes it really just isn’t enough. But the people I see and treat every day have become like a second family to me and we can talk about most issues. I’m a widow but have a 19-year-old son who I miss every day. Fortunately, he lives with my aunt and is well taken care of. Other than missing him, I also miss being able to attend church services and miss socialising with my friends.
Why I wouldn’t have it any other way
Each and every passing day fills me with happiness because I know I’m improving people’s lives for the better. This job is not about money, it’s about the greater good and the difference I am making.
Making a difference
Yolanda Yawa, from Gugulethu in Cape Town, was diagnosed with HIV 13 years ago. Instead of treating it like a death sentence, she’s chosen to use her status as a tool to improve her own life and that of others:
I run several projects in my community but the one closest to my heart is spreading the message about the prevention of HIV/Aids in a fun way.
I’m also busy with a youth project through which I help grade 11 and 12 learners who have lost one or both of their parents to HIV/Aids. The intention behind the project is to assist them with school fees so that I can assure them a brighter future through education. I believe the children are our future, which is why this project is so important to me.
Being HIV positive has made me realise that I am special, so I’m trying to use my voice as an HIV-positive person to inspire people. I don’t want to talk to people about the things they can’t do. I want to show them what they can and are capable of doing. I believe that living a vibrant, fulfilling life is key to that message.
Challenges & Sacrifices
It is not easy to take on other people’s emotions and to make them my own. It wears down my immune system and is emotionally and physically hard. Nonetheless, I’m always emphatic towards those who are struggling through hard times. I don’t really see it as a sacrifice though. I’m doing this from the bottom of my heart; it’s part of who I am.
When someone has fallen on hard times, I know I can have an impact on their lives. In my own small way, I can help them conquer hardship.
I have managed to make being diagnosed with HIV a positive thing in my life. I’m using it to help others and seeing the difference I make in people’s lives is more reward than I could ever have dreamt or asked for.
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