Throughout the course of time, South
Africans have always proved to be a people that took care of its own, and
also one that is active in addressing issues that threaten the status of their
freedom, be it social or economic freedom. However the current state of affairs
seems to be one that has drifted away from this ideal, an ideal to which the humanistic eminence
of this country can be attributed.
The country’s domestic struggles have
merely shifted from political to economic struggle; pandemic struggle (the
fight against HIV/Aids); and social struggle (in terms of moving away from 3rd
world status). In the past 15 years the country has seen the emergence of
numerous Non-Profit organisations that aim at bringing to the fore, social development.
These Non-profit bodies vary from; lobby groups that campaign for the
amendment of government policies that exploit the country’s workforce, to organizations
that raise funds for the infrastructural development of schools and other
community facilities such as clinics and recreational land sites, and lastly
there are Non-Profit and Non-governmental organisations(NGO) that are responsible
for creating programs that aim at empowering and equipping South
African youth for the future, mostly youth that come from disadvantaged
backgrounds.
Initiatives such as the
Lead SA campaign challenges ordinary South Africans to be active in “being the
change they want to see” or rather taking part in the change they want to see happening both in their communities and in their lives. Within 3
years of the campaign’s existence it has managed to achieve a 100% success
rate. The main area of focus for the Lead SA campaign is Leadership, Education, the square kilometre array(SKA) and Sport. What is of interest about this particular NPO is that it is established on the belief that "Ordinary citizens have the passion and resilience to deal with issues that affect them personally", and Lead SA merely assumes the role of serving as platform that assists in mobilising support for initiatives that can help eradicate these issues. "So it would seem that the main ingredient behind the Lead SA campaign's consistent success lies much on the uniting of ordinary citizens that work hand in hand to achieve change".
I believe that if each and every one of us made the conscious effort to make a difference in the lives of others, the world would be a much better place. But, what are the odds of that happening, we are all so caught in our own little worlds, with our own issues and stressors. Organisations such as Lead SA have become, in a way, societies conscious.
ReplyDeleteWhat you're saying about people being less involved in community based initiatives is true, though the success in lead SA campaigns lies much on the fact that people that chip in or pledge with their time and resources are people that they themselves are at the mercy of that particular problem, and fully understand the effect it has on their lives. One last and very important fact about these people is that they understand that without assistance from the government, mobilization of the masses around implementation of the appropriate strategies is the only way these problems can be eradicated.
Deletei agree with Lindo if every one just take that 1 step indeed the world will be a better place to live in... i onence volunteered for Habitant For Human and it was a nice experience just helping the needy.
ReplyDeleteFirst I would like to applaud the humanitarian side of you, to really build an ideal society people need to carry with them that kind of thinking. If there is one thing that we need to understand as people is that before anything else, we are custodians of the earth. Newton's third law applies to every aspect of life, "for every action there is a reaction" if we take care of the world around us, it will in turn take care of us. By ignoring every fault and threat to our societies that we see happening in our communities, we are actually laying foundations of distractions for ourselves and future Generations.
DeleteWe can't change the world until we change ourselves, if South Africans can learn about the power of HUMANITY(ubuntu), I gaurantee you that SA will be a developed country
ReplyDeleteQuite frankly Steve, what you just said is what inspired this post in the first place, the power of being the change we'd want to see happening in both our lives and in our society, this line actually comes from a quote by a Mahatma Ghandi. At the risk of sounding a bit philosophical, this quote actually teaches people about the power of self.
DeleteThis is very true, back in the Apartheid regime, people would fight for what they wanted but it looks like that spirit has faded in thin air...people expect rvery single thing to be given.....people should understand what the work of your hands means!!!!
ReplyDeleteindeed we can't change the world before we change ourselves. people should get up and go work for needs and want and stop expecting the government to just give them things like that.
ReplyDelete