ORT SA launched the Thato Malope study centre at Mbongeni Mgugudu Secondary School on August 21.
The centre honours Thato Malope’s memory, a learner who passed away earlier this year. The learning centre comprises a computer, printers and books.
“Thato’s passing left a hole in our hearts as an organisation. She was part of our World Global Citizen Education programme and we expected her to be a beneficiary of many bursaries.
“We wanted to do something in her memory because our NGO is education-focused,” ORT SA marketing manager, Meso Qhobela said.
ORT SA is an educational NGO that aims to make young people employable by offering coding and robotics programs.
“We saw that the teachers are doing their best to provide spaces, but they didn’t have a dedicated space where they could have access to the resources we are offering.
“Thato was an aspiring librarian. We thought, what better place to start than to have a study centre dedicated to her memory?
“We would like the learners to self-actualise like she did. They don’t need to go home immediately after school; they can utilise the space to expand their knowledge,” Qhobela added.
The NGO’s CEO, Ariellah Rosenberg, stated that Mbongeni Mgugudu has a high pass rate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities.
“We have been working with the school for the past five years and Thato was a part of our Global Citizen Education programme in which she did exceptionally well,” Rosenberg explained.
The principal highlighted the significance of the centre being launched at the school and the impact it will have on the community.
“The learning centre will serve not only the learners from this school but also develop their level of knowledge and enrich their minds. When a learner has been enriched, that knowledge goes back to the community and this will help to establish our community.
“We are proud that the NGO opened this centre in our school,” he said.
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