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SADTU and Soweto schools join White Balloon campaign

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:37

As thousands of children from schools in Soweto prepare to join in the march against child abuse on June 25, South Africans are reminded about the collective power that the youth had in the renowned Soweto uprising on June 16th, 1976.

The march is part of Childline’s White Balloon campaign. The balloons, symbolic of speech bubbles, are the platform by which hundreds and thousands of children have been invited to make their voices heard. Their messages, exhibited via various media platforms, such as; e-mail, MXit and Facebook, have been compiled to form the White Balloon Book of Hope which will be marched over to the Union Buildings on June 25th and handed over to the Minister for Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities.

The South African Democratic Teachers Union (SADTU) have taken it upon themselves to mobilise the children of Soweto and encourage all schools to participate in the march by raising enough funds to pay for the buses (which Putco has provided at a discounted rate ) to travel to Pretoria on the day.

“As teachers, we deal with the after effects of abuse in our classrooms every day,” says Thulani Moleleki, deputy chairperson for SADTU, Soweto North. “We see how unresponsive and unmotivated abused children become. More and more, educators are having to become social workers. As members of SADTU, we have a social responsibility to our children. It is our responsibility to support our children and work with Childline to groom the future leaders of SA.”

Even though mobilising all of the children of Soweto is a challenge, Moleleki firmly believes in the power of numbers.

“The power of the youth comes in a collective voice,” he says. “It is difficult to be heard as one voice, but as a collective voice they can get their messages across. In 1976, it was the children that said ‘enough is enough’. And the world stood up and listened to them.”

Moleleki is hoping to involve 15 000 to 20 000 children from Soweto in the march, a figure that Childline marketing and strategic consultant Brett Will is overwhelmed by.

“We did not even expect 5000 children. This is going to be an iconic event and we are encouraging all South Africans to come and join us and be a part of the solution. We can no longer drop the buck at the government’s door. Yes, it is their responsibility, but it is ours too.”

The messages Will has been seeing on the White Balloons are simple but powerful. “Enough is enough”. “Love us, don’t hurt us.” “We are the future.”

The hope is that these heartfelt messages will resonate with the authorities receiving the White Balloon Book of Hope and bring forth a sustainable plan of action to combat child abuse. Until such a time, and until such a time as Moleleki says there is no need for Childline, the White Balloon is set to become an annual campaign.