The ‘Cut a Child’s Hair for Free’ back-to-school programme was kicked off by Ward 7 councillor John ‘Valdez’ Diphahe at No 5 taxi rank in Galeshewe.
GALESHEWE pupils are excited about the ‘Cut a Child’s Hair for Free’ back-to-school programme that was kicked off by Ward 7 councillor John ‘Valdez’ Diphahe at No 5 taxi rank.
Diphahe partnered in the initiative with a local NGO, Phetogo ya Setshaba, in a bid to allow disadvantaged pupils to “look cool” on their first day of school.
Diphahe said they came up with the idea after engaging in ways to assist the community and to boost the egos of young children at school.
He added that the initiative has the potential of minimising the usual drama on the first day of school, where foundation phase pupils often feel insecure and long to go home.
The programme kicked off on Monday morning, where they went door-to-door to inform the community about the programme and utilised local media platforms to spread the message.
“We offer the learners an opportunity to look cool and be neat on the first day of school,” said Diphahe.
“Gone are the days when our children used to arrive at school in a mess, whereby they got teased by their peers. We were part of those children and have the might in our hands to make a change. This time they will be on point.
“There are parents who cannot afford to take their children for a haircut.”
Diphahe said they started the day with a queue of excited children when they opened the salon doors on Tuesday morning at 8.30am.
Some of the children were brought in by their parents while others came by themselves.
Local radio station RTS FM donated snacks and KFC for the children, while a local butcher from VIP Shopping Complex donated meaty bones for lunch to be prepared for the hairdressers.
According to Diphahe, he has partnered with the NGO in previous community initiatives.
One of their most recent projects was a vaccination drive, where they offered transport to the vaccination sites and a light meal to those who were queuing.
“We managed to assist at three vaccination sites and managed to cater for more than 300 people,” said Diphahe.
