She places both her hands against her chest, and with a soft voice says: “I just wanted to help them.”
''Grade 4 pupil Lungile Sikhakhane, 9, has a big heart''.
One night last month as she watched the news with her parents at their home in Mofolo, she saw images of children suffering in Somalia. The next day, she went to school with those images in her mind and spoke to her Igugu Primary School principal. “It was just before our life orientation lesson that she approached me and said: ‘Teacher, I want us to help the children in Somalia,’ and I was taken aback,” said principal Sibongile Mbuli. “I then told her that she must tell her class and the school about her idea and see how they react,” she said.
When Sikhakhane told the other 211 pupils at the school assembly, they asked her how the money would reach the Somalis. She said: “I have an address and a phone number!”
Sikhakhane then gathered her friends Wendy Ndaba, Kgomotso Langwenya and Buhle Mazibuko to work with her on the project and raise funds. “They are small, just like us. If that were to happen to me, I would want others to help me as well,” said Langwenya, 10.
“When I saw a mother hold her child and he died in her arms, that made me very sad. Another lady stepped on her child when she ran for the food,” said Mazibuko, also 10.
The four girls spent six weeks collecting money from Grade R classes to the Grade 4 seniors. Family, friends and neighbours helped out and gave what they could – from 50c to R100.
“The children don’t usually want to give even R2 for civvies day, but for this they went all out,” said Mbuli. At Igugu, the children are given rice or samp with soya and fruit as part of a feeding scheme.
The volunteers at Magical Moments, an NGO, treated the children to a puppet show, lunch and stationery yesterday. The NGO’s motto is to celebrate life and feed the mind, body and soul.
“They (Igugu) raised R931 and Magical Moments will match that rand for rand and give the money to Gift of The Givers to buy Sibusiso packs (high-energy and protein food supplements) and colouring books for the children,” said founder Ilana Friedman.
A respectful, tolerant and churchgoing girl is how Sikhakhane’s mother Duduzile describes her. “My mom and dad are proud of me. They said God will bless me even more,” she said. - The Star
By MPILETSO MOTUMI (LOL)
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