KMF Scholars win prize money to make their communities better

Our KMF scholars are taking leadership into their own hands to make their communities better!

The Kay Mason Foundation (KMF) recently ran its second annual ethical leadership initiative with junior and senior scholars from Western Cape schools.

The programme, which was first launched last year, aims to prepare scholars for the challenges, and sometimes, the temptations that come with leadership, by helping them to develop strong ethics and values that they can apply to their own lives.

Ethical Leaders; Love in Action

The theme of this year’s programme was ‘Ethical Leaders; Love in Action’ and invited KMF scholars to submit an assignment that identified a community or environmental need.

They then needed to formulate a robust plan as to how to address the need, as well as outline the leadership values and characteristics required to execute the project.

The two winning assignments were awarded R5000 to go toward the activation and implementation of their projects by March 2024. The individual winners were also each awarded R2500.

“Good leadership has the power to shape a community and beyond this, an entire country. If we want to create brighter futures for generations to come, I believe we need to be instilling leadership skills from the teenage years already.

“Our ethical leadership programme teaches the value of integrity and empathy, and inspires young people to lead with purpose,” says Lauren Bright, KMF CEO.

The Six Finalists

The six finalists of the ‘Ethical Leaders; Love in Action’ assignment were judged by CEO of Activate Leadership, Siphelele Chirwa, who says if there’s a South Africa we want to build, this is where we start.

“I’m so inspired by what I’ve seen. All the entries deserved to win, and it was hard to select only two. The question to really ask going forward is how do we support and collaborate to make the visions of these passionate and dedicated scholars go further? Because that’s how we build good leaders and build better communities.” 

Children going without basic school supplies

Grade 8 learner Havana, won in the ‘Ethical Leaders; Love in Action ‘junior category for her project ‘Pencils Of Promise.’ The project aims to provide learners from impoverished communities with essential stationery for school.

Born and raised in Mitchell’s Plain, Havana said she saw first-hand how high levels of crime, gangsterism, and violence affected the school environment for so many children.

“I attended Mitchell’s Plain Primary School, and I know that kids not having the stationery and school essentials required was a big problem as they didn’t have the tools needed to succeed in the classroom. Families can’t always afford to buy stationery due to their home circumstances, and children come to school feeling anxious and ashamed. It’s also hard for the teacher to teach a child that doesn’t own stationery. These learners can sometimes be considered a distraction and an inconvenience.”   

Havana intends to provide stationery kits to 142 students in 2024 in two local schools in Mitchell’s Plain (Mitchell’s Plain Primary School and Tafelsig Primary School). The stationary kits will include a pencil, two pens, a sharpener, an eraser, a highlighter, ruler, and a pencil bag.

Addressing hunger head-on 

Born out of the realisation that so many of her peers suffer from poverty, more specifically hunger, grade 11 learner, Kaylin, who won in the senior category, will be executing her ‘Ethical Leaders; Love in Action’ winning soup kitchen project in Bishops Lavis in 2024.

Kaylin said that she actually realised the extent of poverty and hunger in her community when a friend admitted to wearing shoes that his brother had stolen for him.

“In that moment I understood that poverty can affect people so much that they end up taking from others who have just as little as them. At the end of the day my friends brother just wanted him to have something to wear so that he doesn’t feel left out by his peers who may have more than him.” 

Kaylin’s project will involve handing out packs of noodles to learners after school, as well as setting up a soup kitchen to provide those in need with soup and bread. Further to this, the project will also include handing out sanitary pads to girls in the community.

“The work these students want to do in their communities is truly leadership and love in action. We look forward to seeing the projects come to fruition and the difference they make to the lives of others,” says Bright. 

Learn more about the eligibility criteria for bursary support here.