By Luvuyo Mjekula
In honour of her late brother who had a strong passion for education and was her role model at home, a Makhanda woman has started a foundation to help make a difference in the local community.
Bulelwa Mila has named the foundation the “Xolani Eustice Mila Foundation“, after her brother.
She says the foundation’s aim is not only to preserve Xolani’s memory, but to initiate a positive effect. “Through the foundation I want to become a source of happiness, support, and positive change to those who genuinely need it,” Bulelwa says.
She recalls that her brother was passionate about education, hence she has decided to reach out and help a couple of needy local schoolchildren with back-to-school items such as uniform and stationery, through the foundation.
“My late brother was passionate about education – I remember I was at Samuel Ntlebi Primary School and he called me into a meeting and told me that when I get to high school, I have to study Physics and Mathematics, he actually said that is the rule of the house.
“He didn’t really care about a pass, he wanted to know what symbol I got for Mathematics. We were all (my siblings and I) raised by a single parent who worked as a domestic worker. My late brother, as the first born of the house, took the role of what we call today ‘deputy parent’.”
Bulelwa says Xolani did not only make the rules, but led by example. She says after studying Engineering at PE Technikon, before it became NMMU, he went to study Agricultural Science at Fort Hare University.
“As the last born, I was privileged to grow up in a house where I never had to search very far for a role model. I knew from a very young age that I wanted to follow in his footsteps.”
As the first steps of the foundation, under the theme “making the community better”, Bulelwa wants to reach out and support “one or two kids” in Makhanda with back-to-school stuff.
She will look out for children who share the same values and who have passed the previous grade and are love education. “I am looking forward to engaging with the youth of Makhanda and hearing their stories.”
The money to buy the items will come out of her own pocket and Bulelwa stressed that at this stage, she can help only two children with school uniform and stationery.
“Once I have done all the paperwork to register the foundation as an NPO, then I will reach out to more [schoolchildren]. Since I’m doing this out of my pocket and [the foundation]not fully registered yet, I don’t expect them to keep contact with me yet.”
She will choose the deserving pupils.
