Youngsters from the Sundays River Valley are being taught that they “are in control” of their lives by Gauteng-based motivational speaker Lesedi Mamabolo on Nelson Mandela Day as part of the Absa Kirkwood Wildsfees community outreach to break the cycle of poverty.
Mamabolo will be helping launch an anti-litter campaign in the Valley, which is being sponsored by the non-profit Wildsfees organisation.
“Litter is just one of the symptoms of poverty and a community that has lost pride in itself and its surroundings. We are encouraging young people to take control of their environment – and their futures – through the motivational talks and an ongoing anti-litter campaign in partnership with the Sundays River Municipality,” says Wildsfees director Jenni Honsbein.
Mamabolo will be speaking to grades 11 and 12 at two high schools in Kirkwood, and one in Addo.
“We often play the blame game, blaming the family, the lover, the friends and the environment for always making us feel inadequate, but the truth lies in the fact that you are in control of what you take in and what you take out of life,” says Mamabolo.
He will be urging the youth of the Valley to “Rise and empower yourself through education,” he says.
“The cycle of poverty which has large tracts of the Sundays River Valley in its grip will only be broken when the people of the Valley take control of their lives.
“At the Wildsfees, we believe that it has to start with educating the youth and giving them hope for the future,” says Honsbein.
The anti-litter and anti-waste campaign will be run through the rest of the year, and will be partly funded through proceeds from the 2012 Absa Kirkwood Wildsfees.
Strategic partners are community station Bay FM and Coca-Cola, which will be handing out cool drinks to all the pupils at the high schools in celebration of Nelson Mandela’s birthday.
It will help reduce the incidence of disease due to unhygienic conditions, prevent deaths and injuries to livestock and wild animals, and will also make the Valley a more attractive tourist destination.
“All 46 000 visitors to the festival can take pride in the fact that they have contributed towards making the Sundays River Valley a better place for its people,” says Honsbein.
Alan Straton
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