After realising the scale of the social and educational challenges faced by children in Mdantsane, Pheliswa Nonfenu decided to act.
In 2022, she established the Zisa Ithemba Nolinothi Community Project, an initiative that uses language development, anti-bullying messaging, girls’ empowerment programmes and community outreach to support young people in Buffalo City.
Based in NU10, Mdantsane, the project works with schools and communities across the metro.
Though it does not yet have its own offices, Nonfenu uses her grandparents’ home as a base.
Nonfenu, also known as Nolinothi Ntombezinyanya, said her passion for education and empowering young girls inspired her to start the project.
“I strongly believe in education and empowering girls while they are still young,” she said.
One of the project’s key initiatives is the annual Ziveze Mbongi BCM High Schools Competition, which celebrates pupils’ achievements in poetry, short stories and isiXhosa essays.
It aims to build pupils’ confidence in language and give them a platform to showcase their talent.
The community project also hosts career expos alongside poetry auditions, giving high school pupils guidance on possible career paths.
Another initiative, the Ziveze Mbongi Concert, is a development arts programme that gives upcoming poets and artists a stage to perform, often in traditional dress, at cultural events.
Through the Who Runs the World Girls programme, young girls are taught about menstrual health, hygiene, self-care and confidence during puberty.
Nonfenu said educating girls from a young age helped protect them from being taken advantage of because of a lack of knowledge and support.
Zisa Ithemba has partnered with Kenvue and the Small Projects Foundation to distribute sanitary pads to needy pupils.
Through the partnership, 17 boxes of sanitary pads were donated to schools and pupils across Buffalo City.
Nonfenu said access to sanitary products and toiletries restored young girls’ dignity and confidence, particularly at school.
The project also works with Starbread Bakeries through the Laps for Loaves programme, which introduces pupils to career opportunities in the baking industry while helping to provide food to communities in need.
“I may not have much, but I continue giving from the little I have because I believe in making a difference,” Nonfenu said.
She said the Starbread Bakeries partnership had brought hope to many families, with schools receiving donations of bread based on the number of laps pupils completed on race days.
Nonfenu has worked with more than 30 schools in Buffalo City and collaborated with local artists Siphosethu Nongena and Simamkele Siwayi on youth development initiatives.
Among the project’s upcoming projects is the Ziveze Mbongi High School Competition, which aims to develop pupils’ language skills and provide a platform for young talent.
“The projects I run are not only educational, but they also bring hope to the hopeless and help put bread on the table for many families,” she said.
Nonfenu was nominated for the Daily Dispatch Local Heroes Awards by Sigqibo Ngcolomba, who said she had been serving the community since her high school years.
“She has had a positive impact since she was still at school; for her, helping other people comes naturally,” Ngcolomba said.
“We live in poor communities, full of unemployed youth and parents, so what she does bridges that gap; at least some families don’t feel as much pressure.”
He said Nonfenu knew how to make something out of nothing and valued people from different backgrounds.
“She is very considerate and does not hold back when she gives; she places her whole heart in everything she does for people.”
Ngcolomba said her work helped expose township children to opportunities they might not otherwise have.
One beneficiary of the Who Runs the World Girls programme said the project had helped ease the financial pressure on her mother and had taught her important lessons.
“They helped me a lot, even with the open conversations that tell us what to do when experiencing certain things that are unusual,” she said.
“I really hope that this initiative can reach other girls who are also not informed and are not comfortable enough to speak about such things at home, especially those that are being raised by their fathers.”
Mbekweni Primary school governing body chair Xola Dlalo said the Laps for Loaves programme had made a significant difference at his school.
“Children now have something to eat at school, and it has made them eager to attend school regularly,” he said.
“The sanitary [product] donations have also made a notable difference, as we often faced challenges of pupils missing school due to the lack of financial means to buy them.”
Daily Dispatch