Mandela Month is closing exactly the way Madiba would have wanted — with generosity turned into action for children who need it most. The month-long campaign concludes on Friday with a R150 000 donation of educational equipment and learning materials to Thiboloha Special School in the Free State, in a partnership between the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (DPME) and the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, SAnews reports.
Deputy Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Seiso Mohai is leading the Mandela Month outreach at the school, which is situated in Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District — the heart of the scenic QwaQwa region.
A school where every learner counts
Thiboloha Special School caters for learners from Grade R all the way to Grade 12 who live with deafness, blindness, autism and intellectual disabilities. The school has been identified for developmental support that goes well beyond a single donation, including learning aids, sports equipment, boarding-house essentials and infrastructure improvements.
The DPME said the donation would help address the educational needs of learners and assist teachers in creating a more inclusive learning environment — practical support that lands directly in classrooms and residences where it makes a daily difference.
Diplomacy with a human face
The initiative grew out of discussions between Deputy Minister Mohai and Chinese Ambassador to South Africa Wu Peng on possible support for the school and broader cooperation linked to District Development Model initiatives in the Thabo Mofutsanyana District. The Chinese Embassy subsequently agreed to support the Mandela Month initiative, along with planned work around an investment summit and related social compacting processes in the district.
According to the department, the partnership highlights the role of collaboration between government, international partners and communities in addressing local development challenges — and shows how international friendship can translate into desks, learning aids and opportunities for South African children.
The spirit of 18 July, all month long
This year’s commemoration of Nelson Mandela International Day is held under the theme “It is still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity” — a call to action the Thiboloha initiative answers in the most concrete way possible.
Mandela International Day is observed every year on 18 July, the birthday of former President Nelson Mandela, with the month-long campaign encouraging individuals and organisations to contribute to efforts aimed at addressing poverty, inequality and other social challenges.
The DPME said the Thiboloha initiative demonstrates how partnerships can translate Mandela Day’s call to action into practical support for communities — particularly children with disabilities, whose right to a quality, dignified education this donation so warmly affirms. It is a fitting final note for a Mandela Month that has seen good deeds multiply across the country.
Photo: commons.wikimedia.org
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