Staff members of the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Vanderbijlpark’s Centre for Continuing Professional Development – or CCPD as they are better known – took up the Mandela Day challenge and took time out to better someone else’s day. Several students from the Smile Virus student organisation joined in the fun.
While Mandela Day is internationally commemorated on 18 July each year, South Africans dedicate the whole month to making an impact in people’s lives, especially the underprivileged. This year’s theme was: “Dedicated to fighting poverty”.
The group rolled up their sleeves and divided into smaller groups to attend to different activities during the day. While the biggest task was to remove the old leaking ceiling of Nyakallo Home, in preparation for the installation of a new ceiling, the group also re-painted some of the rooms. Despite all the dust and the sweat that came with the hard work, the team from the campus made sure that they left the house sparkling clean.
According to Collen Mohlokoane, task team manager of Smile Virus, they chose this home in particular to show all who participated in the project “life in a different perspective”.
“Although this is just a small project, our vision is that we inspire other people to also do something similar in their own communities,” he said. He added that such acts tend to teach people the value of life in general.
More about Nyakallo Home for the Disabled
The home was founded in 2010 by Ms Angela Thinana who named it after her son, Nyakallo, who was born with spasmodic dysphonia. Having started with only four patients (Nyakallo being one of them), it is now home to a total of 30 patients between the ages of four and 36 years.
According to Ms Thinana running a place like Nyakallo Home is not an easy job, but with the help of the 18 dedicated volunteer staff members they are able to get the work done. “Every patient has special needs so you need dedicated people who are passionate about helping others,” she says.
CCPD and Smile Virus
The Centre for Continuing Professional Development (CCPD) is the official hub of short learning programmes at the NWU’s campus in Vanderbijlpark. The Centre offers a range of short learning programmes which are customised to meet the needs of both individuals and organisations who wish to improve their skills and knowledge in the professional workplace. All courses are formally certified by the university.
Smile Virus on the other hand is a student organisation responsible for community engagement and charity work on campus.
