Art for Hope -Soshanguve High Sch.
Donation protected
Soshanguve South Secondary School is a publicly funded school situated in Soshanguve, which is a township in Gauteng province, South Africa. Since its inception in 2009, the school continues to provide education to less privileged kids of the Soshanguve community, who in the past had to travel miles to attend school. From my immediate analysis, I will describe Soshanguve South Secondary School (Soshanguve S S ) as a school of hope. Looking around, I can’t help but notice severe poverty, which is a global concern, but the manner in which it is deeply rooted in the community bothers me. As a young activist, keeping my silence goes against all my values. I saw an opportunity to join and help a community, but also an opportunity to learn and grow together with the community.
Fordham University through its Ubuntu program provided me with the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Pretoria for 5 months. Part of my service learning component includes going to poor townships, community centers, and schools to lend a hand in various forms. I chose to help Soshanguve S.S.S by using art, which is my passion. Art has played a crucial role in my development as a young adult and a professional, it has helped me tell my story and sell my story to the world which has been the most fulfilling aspect of my life so far. Through Project Ubuntu, I want to use art as platform for these kids to communicate their stories, hopes, dreams and aspirations in life. This community is highly infiltrated by substance abuse, gangs, teenage pregnancy and extreme poverty, which have created an atmosphere of hopelessness. I want to find ways to keep some of these kids- some of whom are extremely talented- away from this societal menace. How do we keep these kids engaged in a productive and educational manner, but also, how we do help create a sense of worthiness and a sense of purpose in them?
I seek to answer these questions by using recyclable materials from within the township to create 10 works of art over the next 15 weeks. I will be painting with students who are either interested in art or would love to be part of creative project that will enhance their community. Through the active involvement of community leaders, stake holders, and the University of Pretoria, at the end of the 15 weeks period, I will hold an art exhibition for the students at the University of Pretoria, were important community leaders, local businesses and partners of Soshanguve S.S.S will be invited in an attempt to auction all the paintings to help raise funds for the high school. All proceeds will be geared towards student success. They include, but are not limited to the creation of a scholarship fund for graduating students who have demonstrated exceptional academic, artistic and leadership abilities and have demonstrated despairing need for financial assistance. The funds also will be used to help students buy text books, uniforms and the like.
As beautiful and encouraging these goals are, it cannot be done by me alone. Project Ubuntu will need fundingand assistance in any way possible to help buy art materials (canvases, paints, brushes and basic art supplies), to effectively run an after school program, a mentoring session and in preparation for the auction, we will need to transport the paintings- which will range from 70” x 48” canvases to 40” by 30”, from Soshanguve to Pretoria and to help some students who live far from school get transportation as we will be adding an extra day to their normal schooling days.
Knowing this project will help tell stories, a canvas of hopes and dreams and also facing their fears, gives me the ultimate satisfaction. There is no way we can help these kids believe in themselves if they already have a limited vision of who they are and through art we can expand their horizons of possibilities.
I will leave you with some wise words from Desmon Tutu - "A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.
Project Coordinator/Artist and Painter: Alfajo Jallow
Email: [email redacted]
Cell: +27 (79) 1562480
Biography Link: http://www.africanyouthexcellence.org/pursuers_alphajo_jallow.php
Fordham University through its Ubuntu program provided me with the opportunity to study abroad at the University of Pretoria for 5 months. Part of my service learning component includes going to poor townships, community centers, and schools to lend a hand in various forms. I chose to help Soshanguve S.S.S by using art, which is my passion. Art has played a crucial role in my development as a young adult and a professional, it has helped me tell my story and sell my story to the world which has been the most fulfilling aspect of my life so far. Through Project Ubuntu, I want to use art as platform for these kids to communicate their stories, hopes, dreams and aspirations in life. This community is highly infiltrated by substance abuse, gangs, teenage pregnancy and extreme poverty, which have created an atmosphere of hopelessness. I want to find ways to keep some of these kids- some of whom are extremely talented- away from this societal menace. How do we keep these kids engaged in a productive and educational manner, but also, how we do help create a sense of worthiness and a sense of purpose in them?
I seek to answer these questions by using recyclable materials from within the township to create 10 works of art over the next 15 weeks. I will be painting with students who are either interested in art or would love to be part of creative project that will enhance their community. Through the active involvement of community leaders, stake holders, and the University of Pretoria, at the end of the 15 weeks period, I will hold an art exhibition for the students at the University of Pretoria, were important community leaders, local businesses and partners of Soshanguve S.S.S will be invited in an attempt to auction all the paintings to help raise funds for the high school. All proceeds will be geared towards student success. They include, but are not limited to the creation of a scholarship fund for graduating students who have demonstrated exceptional academic, artistic and leadership abilities and have demonstrated despairing need for financial assistance. The funds also will be used to help students buy text books, uniforms and the like.
As beautiful and encouraging these goals are, it cannot be done by me alone. Project Ubuntu will need fundingand assistance in any way possible to help buy art materials (canvases, paints, brushes and basic art supplies), to effectively run an after school program, a mentoring session and in preparation for the auction, we will need to transport the paintings- which will range from 70” x 48” canvases to 40” by 30”, from Soshanguve to Pretoria and to help some students who live far from school get transportation as we will be adding an extra day to their normal schooling days.
Knowing this project will help tell stories, a canvas of hopes and dreams and also facing their fears, gives me the ultimate satisfaction. There is no way we can help these kids believe in themselves if they already have a limited vision of who they are and through art we can expand their horizons of possibilities.
I will leave you with some wise words from Desmon Tutu - "A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed.
Project Coordinator/Artist and Painter: Alfajo Jallow
Email: [email redacted]
Cell: +27 (79) 1562480
Biography Link: http://www.africanyouthexcellence.org/pursuers_alphajo_jallow.php
Organizer
Alphajo Jallow
Organizer
New York, NY