Pupils give their free time to fight poverty

from the Independent On line

By Samantha Moolman

Most matriculants are on holiday, taking full advantage of their new-found freedom.

But Blue Hills College headboy Thabang Mabileng and some friends are hard at work trying to help alleviate poverty in South Africa.

Thabang and some of his fellow pupils arrived at the Pretoria News offices in the city centre after cycling 32km from their school in Midrand.

'We don't believe in handouts'
Thabang organised the Poverty Awareness Cycle Campaign as chairperson of the school's poverty clearance club to encourage people to donate funds to their worthy cause.

On Wednesday the pupils ran a clean-up campaign at Olievenhoutbosch. They were to donate food vouchers and teach the people how to help themselves.

Edwell Gumbo, science teacher and co-ordinator of the event, said: "We don't believe in handouts, which address only the immediate needs of the poor."

Inspired by the book High Noon, 20 Global Problems: 20 Years to Solve Them by JF Rischard, Gumbo proposed the idea to his pupils. They decided to take part in the National Association of Independent Schools Challenge 20/20 and were paired with Williston Northampton School in Massachusetts, in the US, which has also begun raising money for the cause.