On Saturday 18 November, the foundation in partnership with Csevi organised a Young Men Engagement event to upskill young men with much-needed information.
Empowering young men to be a better version of themselves, is what the Rev M.S Lugongolo Foundation strives to achieve.
On Saturday 18 November, the foundation in partnership with Csevi organised a Young Men Engagement event to upskill young men with much-needed information.
Scores of young men from Philippi and the surrounding communities graced the gathering at Khanyisa Centre in Philippi.
READ | Local NPO helps young people in Philippi become resilient through self-development
The founder of the foundation Rev Mawande Lugongolo said the objective was to discuss leadership at their level and to do mapping with the resources they have.
“We want to empower them to be great leaders in our societies. We want them to stay away from substance abuse,” said Lugongolo.
In Lugongolo’s words, young men are left behind in most cases while all the emphasis is on the opposite gender. According to him, they also discovered that most young men commit crimes because they have nothing to do while some come from broken families.
“Most of the young men who attended the event were between the ages of 17 and 25. As a foundation, we are trying to create a safe space for them by keeping them away from the streets and creating a platform to speak out,” he said.
Lugongolo said they aim to visit each area and be able to find out their challenges. “We had young men from Philippi, Gugulethu, Nyanga, Crossroads. So, we are planning to visit them in their specific areas. We want to work with them in different groups,” he explained.
Lubabalo Zonke (19) from Browns Farm described the initiative as educational. He said this kind of programme keeps them away from wrongdoings things. “I learn more about how to conduct myself. We were also encouraged to focus more on our studies than being involved in gangsters and drugs,” said Zonke. He urged his peers to be involved in the local organisations in their areas.