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In
a league of her own
Mail
& Guardian (SA)
May 18, 2007
http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=308994&area=/insight/monitor/
A South African teenager, who takes care of other orphaned siblings,
brought former United States president Bill Clinton to his feet
with her commitment to bringing hope to the lives of other orphan
girls in her community.
Seventeen-year-old
Zethu Ngecza addressed the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New
York recently and received a standing ovation from delegates for
her plans to establish support groups for children in her community.
Ngecza has cared
for her younger sister Lungiswa (11) and her brother Andisiwe (15)
in Kwazakele township in Port Elizabeth, since their parents died
a few years ago. With the help of a local NGO, the Ubuntu Education
Fund, Ngecza has not only managed to access a social grant to support
her family, but also to stay in school so she can complete her education.
Ngecza says
she came up with the idea of a support group for other orphaned
girls because "I want them to realize that being an orphan
doesn't mean it's over, you can still make a difference,"
she explains.
"I have
been to New York because of who I am, even if I don't have
parents. So I want them to know that there is hope." Girls
will meet in a safe, friendly environment, to share the common problems
they face growing up without parents, as well as ways to overcome
them.
The Clinton
Global Initiative (CGI) brings together world leaders from business,
government and NGOs to find solutions to problems such as ethnic
conflict and poverty. All CGI members are required to make public
commitments to the cause of their choice. Ngecza's commitment
to start the support group, amid so many influential people, was
one of the gatherings talked about moments.
Ngecza was invited
to speak at the CGI's mid-year meeting after representatives
- who came to South Africa to meet with children whose lives
had improved as a result of the fund - were struck by her
confidence and bravery.
After they were
orphaned the Ngecza children moved into a cardboard shack with their
aunt and her five children. But their aunt moved to Johannesburg
in search of work and Ngecza and her siblings were on their own
once more. The children found rooms in the KwaNdokwenza hostel in
Kwazakele where they share two bedrooms and a communal bathroom,
dining room and kitchen with another family.
It was through
Ubuntu that Ngecza met case manager Fezeka Mzalazala, who helped
Ngecza piece her life back together. Ubuntu provided her with grief
counseling after her parents' death and she has regular sessions
with Mzalazala. She also goes to an after-school tutoring programme,
where she is given extra instruction in subjects such as maths,
science and accounting.
Ubuntu provide
Ngecza and other vulnerable children in the townships of New Brighton,
Kwazakele and Zeeplaas, with support such as parcels, money for
electricity and paraffin, and school uniforms.
In poor communities
such as these, life in a child-headed household forces many children
to take drastic steps just to survive. "Many kids, when they
become orphans . . . resort to crime and some girls resort to
prostitution," says Ngecza. Her support group will help these
children envisage a different future for themselves.
Unbuntu is an
NGO based in Zwide, Port Elizabeth. For more information go to www.ubuntufund.org
Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.
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