Durban — Operating in an area synonymous with being the country’s crime capital, a non-profit organisation founded by a University of KwaZulu-Natal Bachelor of Science in Electronics Engineering graduate has plans to do more work in the INK (Inanda, Ntuzuma, and KwaMashu) area in the new year.
Monarkhia Academy through its work with underprivileged boys and girls, aims to create a better future for the youngsters by giving them a platform where they can showcase what they are capable of in sports, recreation, and academics.
The academy, which initially focused on soccer training now offers drama and filming exhibitions and with its social development division offers mentorship, life skills looking at anti-drugs and anti-crime campaigns, as well as social cohesion during team talks after training and games.
This year it hosted a Film Exhibition at the Lindelani Art Centre, which aims to teach township children and youth about the film industry and its inherent careers.
The event was hosted jointly with Mirror World Production Company which is known for its film Identity screened at the Durban International Film Festival. The academy has also expanded its sporting codes.
The NPO’s founder Cebo Mzinyane said it was a busy year with challenges and triumphs. Mzinyane said the year got off to a memorable start through a donation drive for stationery that started in December last year and ended in January.
“It went very well and we got more than what we had bargained for. Apart from receiving stationery, we had professionals volunteer their services to the organisation such as a psychologist. After the drive, we signed a memorandum of understanding with one of our local schools, Phikiswayo Primary School. The challenge has been getting manpower to initiate programmes at the school but despite this hurdle, we managed to host a sports day where parents were invited to be participants. This was to build a relationship between pupils, teachers, and parents,” he said.
Mzinyane said, “Besides our weekly programmes at the school where children train in their sporting codes Monday to Friday, our biggest highlight of the year was the sports tournament that we had recently that was sponsored by BB Bakeries. The purpose of the tournament was to create awareness about the NPO in the community and focused on under-13 and under-14 teams in soccer and netball.”
Looking forward to the year ahead Mzinyane said the organisation was focusing on creating more awareness and getting more volunteers to execute groundwork in the programmes offered at the school.
“This will include having a proper launch of the NPO, it makes it harder to get help from the community when it knows little or nothing about the academy. We are starting another donation drive this month running up until January to raise the money we need.”
Sunday Tribune