COMMUNITY IS IN OUR HANDS

By Cuma Pantshwa

• Minister Lindiwe Zulu and MEC of Social Development, Ms Bukiwe Fanta, donated a mobile office to the Ihlumelo Foundation, a youth organisation in crime-ridden Duncan Village, East London.
• The Ihlumelelo Foundation aims to combat drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence among youth through educational programmes in the densely populated settlement.
• The facility, donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, underscores the importance of community involvement in eradicating gender-based violence. The MEC stressed the need to focus on male youth, highlighting the foundation’s role in nurturing activists against gender-based violence.

It is essential for every citizen, including young people and the broader population, to understand the significant role they play in the betterment of their communities.

Minister Lindiwe Zulu and the MEC of Social Development, Ms Bukiwe Fanta, presented a mobile office facility to the Ihlumelo Foundation, a youth organisation based in Duncan Village. Duncan Village is one of the oldest and most densely populated settlements in East London, plagued by crime, drugs, and unemployment.

The Ihlumelelo Foundation aims to create a safe, supportive, and engaging environment for learners after school while their parents are still at work in the crime-infested township. Their goal is to combat and reduce drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence among youth by providing educational and preventative programmes. Through these initiatives, they seek to empower young people with skills and knowledge, using a combination of education and entertainment.

The facility where the foundation operates was donated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. MEC Ms Fanta called upon the church to play a powerful role in focusing on the boy child to eradicate gender-based violence in the community. She noted that in a country where morals are degenerating every day, especially among males, the church’s contribution and efforts are vital. Ms Fanta emphasised the need to concentrate on males, stating that the issue of the boy child is a ticking time bomb.

The MEC closed by saying that through such programmes and facilities and with the help of educators, the community will raise men who will drive gender-based activism and say: NOT IN MY NAME, it will not happen! 

Minister Zulu called on the community of Duncan Village to assist the government and the stakeholders who make a positive impact through these programmes by taking care of and looking after such facilities. 

She thanked everyone who made the day possible and closed by saying, “Here is this building, if it is not protected by the community it will be ripped apart before we know what has happened. We need communities to also stand up because God has given them this life, God has given them strength and God must give them the courage to be able to be responsible for their communities.”