Mpho Mukosi
Unarine Mulaudzi has become a beacon of light to many learners who have been fortunate to benefit from her shoe campaign, which has assisted numerous learners from destitute backgrounds in Limpopo.
Unpacking the essence of the campaign, the 21-year-old says she is passionate about bringing change.
Her initiative started in 2021, and she has since been collecting school shoes and donating them to underprivileged learners who struggle with attending school because of shoes.
"I am a young girl who is more passionate about bringing about change and giving to those who are less fortunate. The passion for giving back led me to register the Unarine Foundation, where I put together school uniforms and distribute them to those learners who wear old and torn ones," she said.
She also explained that the idea of starting this initiative came to her when she saw a learner from Mbaleni Primary going to school with an old, torn sneaker.
"I would continuously see that child going to school with the same sneaker until one day when I called him and asked him why he wore them, the child’s response broke my heart more, especially when he told me that during rainy days, he sometimes does not go to school at all since water gets inside his shoes," she explained.
"In 2021, on the first day of school, I visited Mbaleni Primary School to assess some of the learners' needs, and while I was there, I could not believe what my eyes saw; there were kids walking barefoot while it was hot, and some were wearing old school shoes with big holes," she said.
To date, Mulaudzi has managed to distribute shoes to a few schools around the Vhembe area in Limpopo.
On September 3, the foundation showed love to the learners of Fulufhelo special school in Thohoyandou.
"As much as many regard them as disabled kids, I see future leaders with different abilities in them," said Mulaudzi.
"There is no self-satisfaction and happiness that can ever be compared to that of having an impact on other people’s lives and being the reason behind their smile, but I did not start this just to score points with people but to help a child further their studies so that one day he or she can pass the kindness to someone else again," she explained.
Mulaudzi is also pleading for financial assistance in an effort to continue lending a helping hand to others.
The Star