NYS Experience Inspires Former Participant to Start Own NGO

Equipped and inspired to #empower others, former #NationalYouthService (#NYS) ambassador turned founder of Utshintsho Youth Express Development (UYED), Lungiswa Rumsha is proud to have gotten her registered non-governmental organisation (#NGO) off the ground through the assistance and experience received from partaking in the 6-month programme.

Rumsha says she has had a longstanding dream to start an #NGO that would address environmental and social issues in her area but had to put everything on hold because of financial constraints. “I had to put my #dream aside and look for greener pastures. #NYS came to my rescue and indirectly rescued Duncan Village (East London, Eastern Cape) #youth.”

To bring her organisation to life, Rumsha had to sacrifice half of her stipend for the organisation to make things happen. She kickstarted her journey by hosting awareness campaigns, recycling drives and even buying seedlings for their community gardening project which assists with supplementing their soup kitchen.

UYED encompasses a wide range of services from dealing with the environmental and social issues young people of Duncan Village are facing to bringing hope, understanding and knowledge of how to combat social ills through awareness events, workshops and encouraging #youth participation in these activities.

The youth activities which entail recycling, a soup kitchen, gardening services, sports, drama, and #youth and school debates are meant to take the #youth off the streets and make meaningful changes in their lives and the #community at large. Rumsha is a very passionate individual who has taken everything she taught in the #NYS programme and ran with it to teach and #empower her #community.

She admitted that she was always inquisitive and enthusiastic during every training session, ensuring she grasps everything, particularly from the Skills to Care module presented by #SPF training manager, Nelisa Petse. Rumsha said her hunger and zeal to #learn was so she could pour the #knowledge received into the lives of others.

The Mother and Baby Care training on #SkillstoCare module inspired her to start the 'Mamakhe Programme' which seeks to assist young mothers from pregnancy to postpartum by #equipping them with ways to care for their babies.

“I am very passionate about mother and baby care because of how passionate our trainer, mam’Petse, was. The #skills I got made it easy for me to implement all the plans I have for my organisation. I truly believe that the organisation will live up to its name and bring “Utshintsho” (Change) to our community” Rumsha concluded.