The Activate! has published an eBook, The Activate! Network responds to Covid-19 – We are who we’ve been waiting for’, that shows how South African youths helped their communities during the Covid-19 crisis.
It is understood that the book is a compilation of inspiring stories of individuals in the network of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) who chose to help their communities in various ways.
The Covid-19 pandemic wreaked substantial damage on human lives and the economy in South Africa.
Development Diaries learnt that about three million South Africans lost their jobs and one in five were going hungry, according to a survey by several South African universities.
‘The book documents the hope and resilience of a youth populace who want to change South Africa for the better and who are willing to be that change’, the NGO’s Communications Manager Kim Barlow said.
‘The book shows us that the youth of the Activate network is a constructive force in society; they want to be part of the solution.
‘they are willing and able to come up with unique ways to address problems without waiting on the government to solve them because they’ve come to the realisation that you have to be the change you want to see in the world.
‘This mind-set is what is needed to change the trajectory of the country’.
She also said that the youths had the leadership skills and the wherewithal to quickly come up with solutions to the problems many of their communities faced under lockdown.
According to her, when children could no longer attend school, they started WhatsApp reading clubs and WhatsApp tutoring sessions.
‘When old people did not understand what the implications of the virus were, they started a campaign to inform them. When people lost their jobs and could no longer afford to feed their families, they started soup kitchens, food drives and blanket drives to share what little they have with others; and when the government announced the R350 grant, they assisted communities with completing the application forms’, she said.
Barlow further said through the eBook, the world needed to know about this group of young people changing the narrative on youths in South Africa.
Source: Biz Community
Photo source: South African Ideas Festival
