The Inkwenkwezi High School Environmental Youth Club - Turning Waste Into Art

A Movie by Theresa Ekpa And Jonas Krombach

We Need Rain - The Inkwenkewzi High School Environmental Youth Club At Work in Mdantsane

Youth clubs can play an important role in the Mdantsane Commuity.

Prince, a member of the environmental youth club at Inkwenkwezi

Melikaya Buti is a Xhosa, but he grew up in the Gugulethu township in the Western Cape. He came back to the Eastern Cape a couple of years ago and holds now the position of a project manager for education and training at WESSA. Very soon he will start a Master's degree.

" My childhood in Gugulethu was similar to the way the kids live here in Mdantsane. I know very well what it means to grow up in a township environment. I was a member of several youth clubs when I was a child. It helped me stay on track and keep away from destructive activities, Meli says." 

 

He is in the position today to give back to the community. He does it with his full heart and a considerable amount of passion. Meli coaches the environmental youth club at the Inkwenkwezi High School in NU 6, an organisation consisting entirely of volunteers.

Melikaya Buti

"The message, that I want to bring across to the young people, is that if you take care of the environment and minimize your footprints, that you leave on the environment, you do it for yourself and for your own future. I always tell the volunteers, you do not do it for me, for the government or for Mdantsane. You do it for yourself and for your future. Nobody is forced to work with me. The earth is our future and we have to take care of it as we take care of our families".

To recognize the interdependency between man and the earth is not always easy to understand for the communities that have been deprived and been considered under-privileged for many years.

TheYouth Club

"The best point to start is to educate the youth about environmental issues and waste management. Waste is the biggest environmental problem in Mdantsane,' says Meli

The environmental youth club undertakes a wide variety of activities on the school ground. The vision of the club is that  through their actions and their example other young people from the school will join force with them.

Theresa, The German volunteer and Mr Amoah, the school principal watching the interview with Meli

  Melikhaya says that the never-ending support of the school's Principal Mr.Amoah is of great value to the  club. The support of the other teaches is essential. They have to be implicated in the process because they are the direct link to the children. Meli visits the school once a week, sometimes even less, but the teachers have the capacity to guide the children and encourage them to continue with their activities.

The WALL OF FAME in the Youth Club's Cottage

A clear structure and a set of rules have been established for the club. The club meets regularly in what is called "The Cottage" to discuss their activities and their plan of action. The Wall Of Fame shows a picture of each member.

The German Volunteers Jonas and Theresa

And we especially love the cross-cultural component of this project. The German Volunteers live in Mdantsane with guest families and their role is to facilitate the activities of the environmental youth club.

The club's rules 

Some volunteers have even used more drastic measures to clarify what is allowed and what is not inside the cottage............

 

Burning environmental issues have been recognized by these young South-Africans

and the cottage is a place of creativity.

 

 

One of the first activities, that Theresa and Jonas, the German Volunteers started with the volunteers was to paint a beautiful wall mural on one of  the school's buildings.

Seen from a distance you have to look twice to see where nature ends and the mural starts!

 

The Principal

Theresa and Jonas in front of the mural

Theresa and Jonas will still stay several month in Mdantsane. We are looking forward to see more projects of the club.

"It was not totally easy in the beginning Theresa" says,"because the life here is very different from Germany but now we have adapted to the Mdantsane way of life".

Bruce Lee showing us a lemon tree planted by the club

South Africa proudly presents! And may be others will get inspired by the clubs vibe and join!

You Are My Candy Girl !

Wanna Be My Candy Girl? Inkwenkwezi High School NU 6

Yeah, well who would not want to be the candy girl in the picture. No Comment needed.

Lunch Time At Inkwenkwezi High School In NU 6 Mdantsane

The Cook in Action At Inkwnkwezi High School in Mdantsane NU 6

A cook who does not taste his or her own food is no good!

I am starting this article on a small personal note. My grandmother (of whom I am thinking very often because she was just so full of wisdom) always used to say: " A cook has to be of a certain substance. If he or she does not eat her own food there is no need in preparing it for others".

A peek into the kitchen of the Inkwenkwezi High School in NU 6 around 12 o' clock tells you immediately, that you do not have to worry here about what my grandmother was trying to say and that everything is in order.

The school  gives lunch to the students, cooked every day by these ladies!

The size of the pots indicates the hunger of the learners at Inkwenkwezi High School in Mdantsane

The size of the pots, the smell of the vegetable stew and the steaming rice on the plates makes you terribly hungry within seconds (should you be so unlucky to be in the kitchen around lunch time). You are unlucky if you are not part of the students.

The food is given the final touch under the eyes of the cook's helper

We were not the only ones getting hungry. Anticipation could be seen on several faces.

What you see here is the work of an artist and her helpers and assistance. Do not think for a second that it it is easy to cook for several hundred learners on a tight budget and make the food still tasty. But confidence and experience does it.

The kitchen is the place to be around lunch time

At least O N E of us tried to soften the heart of the ladies. Meli was captured on film making use of his infatuating charm and smile, hoping to get his share of the pot. Well Meli, nice try but we nevertheless ended up at the RED STAR.

MELIKAYA GIVING IT ALL

But we know the meal indeed tasted delicious!

It's gooood.....

Just watch the learners for a little while having their meal in the classroom.

The Principal told us that for many students it can be the only meal of the day.

Learnes at the Inkwenkwezi High School

It becomes clear how important it is in South Africa to serve lunch at the schools. Nobody can study with an empty stomach.

Lunch in the classroom

This by the way means: NO EATING ALLOWED HERE!

Happy

The Inkwenkwezi School And The Environmental Youth Club In NU 6

WELCOME TO INKWENWEZI

The Inkwenkwezi school in NU 6 is running a very special environmental initiative. Supported by the NGO WESSA the school has an environmental youth club consisting of volunteers from the school.

The beautiful view over NU 6 from the Inkwenkwezi school

Our team has encountered so many interesting individuals (old and young) and a lot of amazing stories, that we have decided to run a series of several stories on this school.We are giving you a short introduction today - but please do come back tomorrow because more stories and pictures will follow.

Inkwenkwezi means star in the Xhosa language.

The Principal Mr. John Amoah

The school is run by a very energetic and motivated man named Mr.John Amoah. Mr Amoah, the principal of the school was born in Ghana, got married to a South African woman and  has two children, of which one of them is married to a German national. He resides in South Africa since twenty years. So you can say a truly cosmopolitan individual. 

He explained to us, that he plays two roles in life. He is the principal of the Inkwenkwezi school and he is a pastor as well, who is engaged in a variety of community projects initiated and supported by his church in Mdantsane.

The Principal with his students after the exams

When we arrived at the school the exams were in full swing.

Students were just coming out of the classroom and the tension was high.

Music does always help to release tension!

Intense discussions took place everywhere: How did it go? How did you write?

Worries ? Sure!

The Principal looking at a poster that the volunteers of the environmental youth club have designed

And still, during this so important period for the students and the teachers we were received and welcome with great hospitality.

We were introduced to the environmental youth club by Melikaya Buti who is the project manager for education and training at Wessa - the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa.. Under his guidance the volunteers of the youth club learn about environmental issues and slowly they become more and more aware and conscious of the interdependence between man and earth.

Melikaya Buti

This initiative has some many positive aspects that it deserves much more exposure.

Jonas Krombach

But there is more to it than raising the awareness of young people for our environment. The project has an intercultural component as well. 

Theresa Ekpa and Jonas Krombach are two young German nationals who were sent by the German volunteer organization Weltwaerts. They are living with two host families in Mdantsane and they will stay a whole year in the kazi living amongst the people of Mdantsane!   

Theresa Weltwaerts volunteer

People of different nationalities and convictions are working together to change behaviour, motivate others and add value to Mdantsane's neighbourhood.

Cottage of the environmental youth club