Non-profit organisation Ntinga Ntaka will host its second community walk at the Merrifield trail on Saturday to extend the spirit of Mandela Day earlier in July.
Ntinga Ntaka programme director Lindokuhle Msele said the purpose of Saturday’s walk was to raise funds to cover the costs of stationery and refreshments for pupils in the programme.
“The programme is mainly dependent on donations and sponsors. This is our effort for the continuity of the programme.”
There is no standard registration fee; participants are expected to pay what they can.
Msele said non-monetary donations such as reading material and stationery would also be welcome.
The Ntinga Ntaka (soar like a bird in isiXhosa) programme was formally started in 2022 as a result of Merrifield Preparatory School and College’s efforts over 20 years in reaching out to the Nompumelelo community.
As an academic programme, Ntinga Ntaka aims to bridge the gap in education, a common crisis faced in South Africa.
The programme aids two Nompumelelo schools, Sakhikamva Senior Secondary and Floradale Primary.
Ntinga Ntaka has tackled educational inequality head-on by introducing academic tutoring, literacy development, financial education and enriching activities.
The programmes reach pupils from grades 4 to 12 and are held at Merrifield. Every year, the number of pupils in the programme has increased.
In 2020, before the programme was introduced, Sakhikamva’s matric pass rate was 45%. In 2024, thanks to Ntinga Ntaka’s efforts, the matric rate was 89.4%.
Floradale principal Nomakhosazana Ncumani said she was grateful for the impact of the programme at her school.
“Ntinga Ntaka has helped the pupils a lot. Now they are branching out into several extra-murals like marimba and computer lessons, and that brings us joy.
“The programme is also teaching chess to five of Floradale’s staff so we can introduce it to the students.”
Ncumani thanked Msele and the rest of the Ntinga Ntaka team for helping the school to acquire much-needed furniture.
They barely miss a day. This gives us a green light to do more for them and strengthen the programme
Merrifield College headmaster Dr Guy Hartley said the programme was a true representation of the schools’ relationships with the community.
“We realised we had the ability to offer these classes and contribute towards the schools’ educational performances. We’re glad to see the students make great advances.
“Our students have also had the opportunity to become mentors to their peers and have learnt from each other.”
Both Hartley and Msele urged other schools to follow Merrifield’s example, as such initiatives played a big part in their academic development.
“We all need to take part and extend our hands to the next person,” Msele said, adding that the pupils appreciated the programme very much.
“They barely miss a day. This gives us a green light to do more for them and strengthen the programme.”
Walk participants can either complete the 1km option or the 3km option on Saturday. Additional information on the race can be found on Merrifield’s Facebook page.
Daily Dispatch
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