The Incredible Power Of Community Development

I have an inspiring story to share with South Africa and the rest of the world. On Friday, 11 March 2016, I partnered with my two friends: Chesley Mnisi of Lunghisani Trading and Jurie Moolman of Djuma Private Game Reserve to host an interschool debate competition in Manyeleti Circuit in Bushbuckridge. The competition took place a Dayimani High School in Gottenburg and involved nine high schools that are based in rural communities, where extracurricular activities are not a usual arrangement.

What inspired the move was that I sat down and thought of how best I can assist the learners to improve their communication and presentation skills, and I resolved that a debate competition was a way to go. It worked very well because at the end of the day, we had 27 learners who participated and expressed themselves freely. The biggest challenge that rural school learners are confronted with at tertiary institutions is their inability to confidently give a presentation in front of the masses, and this cripples their academic performance.

The event was also graced by local musicians such as Themba Nyathi, DJ Kukza and Tizzman who came to entertain the learners at no cost. Although the event did not have monetary prizes, all learners who made it to the top 10 will have the luxury to visit Djuma Private Game Reserve and be part of an educational game drive, free of charge.

What made the day to be more eventful was that other learners who could not be part of the debate were given a platform to showcase their skills such as poetry and music. This may look like a small gesture, but it is small things like these that go a long way in motivating learners to believe in themselves despite their challenging backgrounds.

We need more people to stand up and champion the cause of community development. I would like to urge other community members, particularly businessmen, to invest in our children and help build a better society. It may be too difficult to recognise the value of a drop in the ocean, but the ocean would not be the same without that drop. Let us all be the change that we want to see in our communties.