KFW Development Bank donates office furniture to Activator Youth Hubs around the country

By Paul Mabote 

On Thursday the 20th of August, KFW generously donated the furniture from their office in Hatfield, Pretoria to ACTIVATE! who in turn handed it over to different Activator-run youth hubs across the country.

The furniture included office desks, filing cabinets as well as a boardroom table and chairs. The director of the KFW office in Pretoria, Silke Stadfmaan, said that she hopes the furniture- which was distributed by Malusi Mazibuko and Mzwandile Msimang- would enhance the appearance of the intended beneficiaries’ facilities and that their work spaces could be improved.

KFW Development bank- whose headquarters are based in Frankfurt, Germany- provides financial assistance to governments, public enterprises and commercial banks in developing countries around the world. The organisation has been in existence since 1948.

2019 Activator Tsakani Matavele is one of the Activators who received the furniture donation for her youth hub, Rivoningo Creative Youth Hub in Orchards, Pretoria North. She said her youth hub exists for youth in the creative sector who want to enhance their knowledge and skills through various creative art programmes. She received an office desk and two office chairs for her hub.

“This furniture is going to make a big difference in our work space. It is going to help us better perform our administrative duties like filing our important documents neatly and orderly,” said Activator Alexander Itumeleng Mpaga of Shukushukuma Youth Hub in Randfontein. The organisation has a community nutrition programme where they serve daily meals to the most impoverished members of their community. Shukushukuma youth hub received an office desk, a filing cabinet and two office chairs for their office.

Another Activator, Kagiso Kgomane received an office desk and two chairs for his youth hub Youth by the Youth, which is based in Garankuwa, Pretoria. His youth hub does various educational youth development projects, including a drive to assist young students with online tertiary schooling applications. He expressed his gratitude to ACTIVATE and KFW, saying that the furniture will be of great help in terms of increasing the number of work stations they currently have in their office.

Activator Bongani Langa Khubeka’s Vaal Youth Hub is based in Sebokeng, Gauteng. They assist youth with the development of employment, business, and financial skills. He said that the furniture they received will enable them to have a professional office where both the staff and community members can sit down and have productive discussions.

In Atteridgeville, Pretoria, Activator Phathuxolo Ndzimande helps run Pheli Youth Information Health Hub, which currently has more than 250 members. Ndzimande and his colleagues dispense useful information on youth health and they also host and facilitate health activations and workshops. He said “the donation will be so helpful to our hub, especially with the recent increase in the demand for the services we offer at our hub. It will also be helpful, since we are currently working on getting a bigger work space, due to the increasing number of people who visit our hub.”

A total of 10 youth hubs benefited from this generous donation by KFW development bank. Silke Stadfmaan wished the benefiting youth hubs well, saying, “we are happy that you are able to make good use of the furniture. We wish you many successful meetings and outcomes around the boardroom table!”

ACTIVATE! Change Drivers extends their gratitude to KFW. In true South African fashion, we say, “Siyabonga, Enkosi, Rea Leboha,  Baie Dankie.”

Paul Mabote is a member of the ACTIVATE! Change Drivers Network

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