Educator at Curro Heritage House High School, Melissa Gous, echoed Mahatma Gandhi when he wrote: “…the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” The school is very intentional in cultivating a spirit of community service in its learners across all grades. “We believe that placing the needs of others before your own is an important step on the journey of self-discovery.”
Melissa had contacted The Domino Foundation about how the learners could take another step on this journey through the NPO’s programmes. The results were two-fold: the prefects under the Community Service Portfolio, decided to start a ‘bread buddies’ drive, where sandwiches would be made once a month and donated to the Foundation’s Nutrition programme. The second outcome came from the greater body of learners who chose to donate food items. These they packed into a total of 55 relief hampers, each one of which holds enough to feed a family of 4 for a week. The outcome of the learners’ generosity and hard work meant that 220 needy people could be fed.
Grade 12 learner, Natalie Mutize, commented that she wanted to make a real difference in the lives of those struggling with hunger: “So many families go without basic meals every day. The food drive gave me a chance to contribute meaningfully and to be part of a collective effort to bring hope and support to those in need.”
Melissa added that community service helps teenagers develop empathy, responsibility and a sense of purpose while they help others, building stronger communities and growing into compassionate citizens. “Our school is founded on the core pillars of respect, responsibility, integrity, and ubuntu which come alive when learners engage meaningfully in community initiatives, like those led by Domino.”
Domino’s Connector, Thembeka Gumede, commended the Curro learners on their efforts on behalf of underserved members of the community: “We have been very moved by the response in general to the call for relief hampers. Another area schools could really make a difference is supplying Domino with peanut butter and bread for the Nutrition programme”. She invited schools to be part of a similar journey of self-discovery in the service to others by contacting her for details on 0312 110 7030 or connect @ domino.org.za.
