Thulani Madondo

Noah Old
Helen Molanphy
English 111
November 7, 2012

Thulani Madondo and the Kliptown Youth Program In the United States of America, education is seen as a right. Many even believe that it is their obligation, however, drop out rates in the United States are up and our country’s education system is failing. Many high school graduates still cannot spell much less use proper grammar. However, in impoverished countries such as South Africa, education is seen as a privilege. Children there, struggle to attend classes and achieve greatness. Many obstacles stand in their way; in many cases, financial circumstances hinder the children from receiving a proper education. Financial pressure causes many youth in South Africa and all over the world, to drop out of high school. Kliptown is a suburb of Soweto in Guateng, South Africa. It is just one of the many slums in South Africa. The majority of residents in Kliptown are in extreme poverty. They face terrible living conditions. There housing consists of small shacks, if that, with no running water, electricity and more times than not, no food on the table. Living conditions like these are not uncommon in the slums of Kliptown. These conditions are often the result of the high unemployment rates in the slum. Along with high unemployment rates, there are a large numbers of school dropouts. An outrageously high school dropout rate is also a leading factor in the increasingly high crime level. In Kliptown, along with countless other slums, many struggle to find work. As a result of the lack of work in many households, many families find basic necessities such as food, water, and clothing, hard to come by. These poor circumstances can be detrimental for families. More times than not, uniforms for school cannot be afforded for the children. Food, which is a basic necessity of life, is often scarce in these slums and many cannot afford to put food on the table. Because of the lack of food, children go to school with empty stomachs. Hunger is the world’s number one health risk. It kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. 870 million people do not have enough to eat and 98 percent of those 870 million people live in developing countries. Studies have shown that malnutrition leads to five million deaths of children in developing countries each year. Another study, done by UNICEF, concluded that one out of four children in developing countries is underweight. That is roughly 146 million children. Another study performed by UNICEF showed that out of the 10.9 million deaths of children under five, 60 percent of the deaths are a result of malnutrition and hunger. These statistics are graphic examples of the devastation that hunger has on the world and this is true in Kliptown where many children die each year from starvation. Thulani Madondo has had a major impact on the youth ecology in Kliptown. Madondo is the director and cofounder of the Kliptown Youth Program. He was the first member of his family to graduate high school. Growing up, he spent his time in school and when he was not in school, he looked for any way possible to earn money to stay in school. Although he had a job washing cars and saved every penny he earned (that did not go to helping out his family), he still could not afford to go to college. Thulani Madondo has been in the same situation as many of the children in Kliptown. He knew from first hand experience just how devastating and difficult being in extreme poverty could be. However, Madondo was not the only individual who had seen the effects of poverty. Madondo and several others wanted to change that. They did not want others to have to go through the same situations and difficulties that they experienced or have to go to school with empty stomachs. For this reason, they teamed up together and founded the Kliptown Youth Program. Thulani Madondo, Thando Bezana and Sipho Dladla founded the Kliptown Youth Program in 2007. In order for students to be a part of the Kliptown Youth Program, they and their guardians have to sign a contract. The contract that the participants are required to sign states that they will stay in school and attend two mandatory tutoring sessions per week. If they agree to the contract, Kliptown Youth Program provides basic school necessities for the students. These necessities include providing the students with school uniforms, so that they will have the proper attire for school, and lunches so that they may stay focused and nourished.
First of all, the uniforms provide a sense of belonging and of purpose. Though they may be from the poorest of the poor in the slums of Kliptown, they may hold their heads up in class among their fellow students. Lunches bring proper nutrition, which has been proven to improve mental function. Having a meal to look forward to at lunch in a world where there often are no lunches is a strong incentive to continue attending school. Tutoring sessions assure that they will not fall behind and will be able to continue their progression towards completing their studies.
The program not only gives physical support to students, but also gives them the chance to be kids. There is a lot of pressure put on the children in slums or of poor families, like those in Kliptown. Whether it is financial pressure, or pressure to support their families, these children are forced to grow up faster than they should have too. The Kliptown Youth Program gives its students the chance to have a childhood. The program not only helps students have a better shot at life, but it allows them to have some fun while doing it.
The program does many things for the youth ecology in Kliptown. There are lower drop out rates in those who are a part of the Kliptown Youth Program compared to those who are not associated with it. Not only are they achieving greatness and accomplishing their goals, but also they are receiving support and encouragement in the process. While they are in fact working hard to achieve their goals, they are not alone. They are working towards similar goals with others in the program, which some might say contributes to their accomplishments because the students build relationships and push each other towards their goals.
By founding the Kliptown Youth Program, Thulani Madondo has enabled students in all walks of life to become a part of something bigger than they, or anyone else, could have ever imagined. After leaving the program, many upperclassmen go on to achieve their goals not formerly thought to be achievable. In many cases, upper classmen who have either graduated or who have been in the program for some time and have seen the positive effects that it can have, go on to help the Kliptown Youth Program by tutoring and mentoring students there.
If there were more programs out there like this one, the youth of the world might have a better chance at succeeding at life. This program has enabled many youth in the slums of Kliptown to have a shot at getting out of poverty. If you took this program and enlarged it so that they were all over the world, where they need programs like this, more youth would be educated. The education that this program offers has the potential to give its participants the chance at much better lives. They become much more successful compared to if they did not have the support of this program. Imagine if there were more people like Madondo, which there are, what could happen. The possibilities are endless.
Thulani Madondo took a bad situation and turned it around. Because he did grow up in these terrible circumstances and has experienced what many of the youth that are entering into the program have, he understands what they are going through and how he can help them. He took the bold move to change these circumstances and as a result has empowered young people in one of the many slums of South Africa to do well and work towards succeeding in life. He has given these youth the mindset of “You CAN do it and do not let anyone else tell you otherwise.” Madondo saw what needed to be done in order for these terrible situations to change and did something about it with his KYP effort. In one of the world’s worst slums, Kliptown, Thulani Madondo and his associates have created a program that has brought many students out of abject poverty and given them a bright future. Through the simple measures of uniforms, academic support, and food, many students who would have been dropouts are succeeding and going on to accomplish many things in their lives and given them a sense of empowerment. The world could certainly use more Thulani Madondos. Governments and societies would be well advised not only to encourage men and programs like this but also to go above and beyond by seeking them out and empowering them and enabling them through funding and training.