Last Friday, a school in the far north-eastern part of the Vhemba district of Limpopo was brought into the 21st century by the University of Johannesburg (UJ) and the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD).
They partnered to open a new Learning Resource Centre at Hanyani School, equipped with uncapped Wi-Fi connectivity, computers (donated by Investec); resource books (donated by the community); as well as other learning materials.
The centre was named Nga Tshumisano (Tshivenda for “let’s work together”) by the school’s governing body at the launch on 4 August.
One of the villages the school caters for, Gwakwani, has been adopted by UJ, which since 2014 has introduced critical improvements such as a solar-powered bakery, solar pumps, and a crèche. The SAJBD wanted to partner with UJ because the work the academic institution was doing in Gwakwani was sustainable and could be replicated in many villages like it, said Charisse Zeifert, the head of communication for the SAJBD.
“The fact that the school was so remote further meant that the impact of our resource centre would be particularly meaningful,” she said.
UJ Vice Chancellor Professor Letlhokwa Mpedi told school representatives at the launch that he himself had come from a rural village, and that he knew how hard it was to make it in the urban world.
The vice chancellor said that the sign to the classroom, which read, “donated with love by the South African Jewish community” reminded him of the song, Children Hold On To Your Dreams by William Howard. The lyrics include the words, “Life is hard, and so unfair/Unless you believe that someone cares … The old world is very cold/It favours not, the young or old/Life is hard and so unfair/Unless you believe that someone cares”.
- If you would like to donate learner-appropriate books to the resource centre, please contact sajbd@sajbd.org
