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When the national lockdown forced pupils into their homes, Reddam House Umhlanga knew that they had to use whatever ways they could to make a difference in their community.
During the first weeks of lockdown, the school's matric outreach portfolio - Sarah Harding, Caitlyn Fincham, Kelly Van der Vyfer, Melba Mavimbe, Rachel Emond, Georgia Mackay, Thoraya Bonnin and Nico Willemse - took the initiative and encouraged pupils to do chores around their homes to earn pocket money from family members. With the help of teachers James Taylor and Chantal Lourens, this money was donated to the Bhambayi Project, a non-profit organisation that supports orphans and vulnerable children, together with their guardians.
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The project was supported by the whole school and, on Mandela Day, the outreach portfolio got the entire high school to make masks to donate to communities who needed them. The portfolio conducted quality checks on each mask to make sure they did the job.
Then again during the third term, the outreach portfolio ensured that both students at school and at home had the opportunity to reach out to others. They ran multiple projects, including collecting over 200 ecobricks for the Green Corridors project, bottle tops for wheel chairs and knitted squares for blankets. Students made wash stations for informal traders in the Warwick Market and collected food for TAFTA, an organisation that takes care of the elderly, and prepared food for the Imifino Feeding Scheme.
The school asked pupils to send through photos or videos of them getting involved in these projects, which encouraged them to take part in the initiatives and get their friends and family to join in too.
Although this year was not what anyone expected, the Reddam House Umhlanga matric outreach portfolio ensured that students were still able to make a difference and have an impact on individuals in their wider community.
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