By Lebogang Khalo
19/04/2016
The Ramotse My Home Foundation (RMHF) members who are former learners of Mokonyama Primary School and Lebelo Primary School in Ramotse went back to their former schools to donate shoes and socks as part of their giving back to the community innitiative.
RMHF embarked on the project in partnership with PEP Store at an event that took place recently.
Mokonyama Primary School has about 753 learners with most of them without school shoes. The school identified 50 most needy learners and prioritised them. Previously the school relied on the Department of Social Development for school uniforms however this is always not enough. The management of Mokonyama Primary School said they were happy with the donations from RMHF and PEP Store as it will go a long way in assisting the children. The Lebelo Primary School also expressed their appreciation and said most of the children are from destitute families and this is a blessing especially that it is happening before the cold winter season. Without such innitiatives, most of the children knew that they were facing the cold winter having to walk long distances to to to school bare feet.
The schools urged other organisations to come forward to assist the children because some of them come to school without uniform. Sometimes the school even have to ask students who finish their grade seven to donate their uniform as they move out of the school so that it can be donated to those without uniform remaining at the school. The school urged parents not to shy away from presenting their socio economic problems to that the school can assist.
Anna Mashaba (43) who is a single mother of seven children and a grandmother of seven grandchildren, accompanied her three grandchildren to receive school shoes. The family rely on the grandmother’s social grant for survival. She said, she’s very happy with what has happened, because by the end of April she was supposed to buy them school shoes because their parents don’t work. “PEP and RMHF has saved me becasue i wil use the money for other household needs,” she said.
A 45-years-old unemployed mother, Ms Onica Thebe, said she is happy about the gesture shown by PEP Store and RMHF because she is not sure if she was going to be able to afford to buy her children school shoes this winter.
PEP Store Manager, Mr Mahomed Peerbhai, said they contributed 200 school shoes and socks because they saw the need for schools shoes among these two schools in Ramotse. He said they are happy to have been part of the project. “We would like to thank the school for allowing us to be part of this initiative in Ramotse,” said Mr Mahomed.
Ms Amaleah Mbewe of RMHF said they also managed to collect 55 pairs of school shoes from the High Five security as well as Mrs Kgomotso Mnisi a community member. She said they will continue to assist the community on other societal problems such as drug abuse, destitute families, vaccination and fund raising. Currently RMHF has other project such as distribution of food parcels and the Foundation requested sponsors to come on board and be involved in the 2017 community development plans.
