Giving back has never felt so good - be a part of it.

I'm extremely excited about this coming weekend – Saturday to be precise. I will be attending the 6^th edition of the Ikasi Experience – the initiative of developing young people by Ikapa Live.

The Ikasi Experience is aimed at celebrating the local diverse culture of entrepreneurial spirit while seeking to expose local entrepreneurs, businesses, undiscovered talents and vendors from Khayelitsha to an array of visitors – both local and international – with the hope of generating sustainable income and long-lasting networks.

What does this mean for our townships? It means there will be economic growth, the ability of young people to do things by themselves for themselves. 

But why am I writing about the Ikasi Experience on our platform of sharing life experiences to empower one another? This is because the organisers of the event have permitted us to take learners from Sinako Secondary School to the event.

What I haven’t shared with you is that recently I was invited to Sinako Secondary to give an inspirational talk to thirty learners that are under the Orphans and Vulnerable Children’s (OVC) program.  The principal specifically wanted me to share my background about going through many challenges and obstacles and rising above them.

The most amazing thing that happened was when the school principal, Mr Qinisile, told me to start off by sharing a word or two to the teachers before they commenced with their daily duties. The attention I got while talking, the questions I was asked after the talk really meant I had played an important role that day in telling teachers without them there would be no us. 

When I moved on to the learners I had already thanked God for blessing me with that day. I stepped into their computer lab which had approximately twenty computers that aren’t working. The learners came in, took chairs to sit right in front of me as people that were eager to hear what I had to say. 

I started telling them about how I grew up. As soon as I told them about how other people hide behind pain and suffer silently – I could see change in their faces – from beautiful smiles to sad almost teary faces. I’ll never forget the look in a 14 year old boy that stood up and said “sisi, I want to be a doctor but I don’t see it happening.” I could not help but shed a tear as all thirty of these learners had a sad story to share and how they all don’t see any hope of their circumstances changing.

Before I left their school, they asked for my contact details. Later that night I was already receiving messages of gratitude from them – like I had already done something for them. 

So I thought the least I can do is to organise donations and mentors for them. There are so many people from our townships that have a success story to tell. I thought why not take these learners to see the work of the Ikapa Live team – Loyiso Mdebuka and Vincent Manzini – that are also from Khayelitsha; and have had their fair share of challenges but rose from them.  

Giving back to your community is cool because one gets to be part of the people that develop the minds of young people and infrastructure in our communities. There is no fulfilment in ones heart than that of making another person’s heart happy – it is just too blissful.

Join us on Saturday at Khayelitsha Look Out Hill as we will be giving these learners a memorable experience which will motivate them to always look beyond their circumstances. We are through with blaming our circumstances and other people for our laziness. If you want a better life for yourself, you start acting better today – tell a friend.

Be at the Ikasi Experience on Saturday and sleep having made someone’s day.

See you there! *mwah*