Aim to Change Outreach Group

Bernadette Hess and Alberta Berends



A few grade 12 girls at Dawid Bezuidenhout High School were inspired to form an outreach group after visiting St Paul’s Making the Difference (MTD) group.

Their eagerness to respond to the needs of the school and community had a ripple effect as the initial group of three girls has increased to 25 active participants. A name for this group was debated and the Aim to Change Outreach Group was born.

Within a span of three months a few projects were identified and tackled with much enthusiasm. A pressing issue was the need to address the reading habits of our learners. More than 500 books were donated to the group by St Paul’s. The group spent the afternoons doing an inventory of the books and classifying in the various genres. Once of this was done, learners were able to take out books of their interest. The seed for a culture of reading was sown.

Previously loved

Another project was the “previously loved” school uniform collection. This entailed asking learners to donate their tunics, school shirts and jerseys that they have outgrown. Children in need were identified and received a fitted uniform. This brought smiles and a great sense of relief.

With the growing awareness of keeping the environment clean, the girls from the group did some research on the spekboom. They educated themselves on the advantages this plant has for people and the environment. The Aim to Change girls decorated tins, prepared soil and then planted spekboom cuttings in each of these.

A cold winter loomed ahead of us and the knitting of beanies became a much-needed event. Nothing stopped these girls from attempting this challenging task. Those who did not have knitting needles opted to use sosatie sticks! Two teachers also offered to join in (coming just in the wake of lockdown).

A total of 70 beanies were completed. The art teacher added a trinket to each beanie, making it extremely attractive. The beanies were then donated to children at the cancer ward and at Hope Village.

The group identified the need for sanitary pads among schoolgirls. With the help of Making the Difference (MTD) they were able to secure a donation of reusable sanitary pads packaged in beautiful hand-sewn pockets. Another donation of 400 sanitary pads was made by two young people from the Paying It Forward community.

Aim to Change outreach group was invited by the MTD group at St Paul's College to assist with their preparation for hosting a street stall.

Clothes were donated to the school and then given to a group in need that was identified beforehand. The girls were amazed at the numerous bags filled with a variety of clothes, fashionable, some outdated but still in a good condition, in all possible sizes and colors. The task seemed daunting at the beginning when they received the instructions of what had to be done.

However, good organisation and experience on the part of the MTD group made the exercise run like a well-oiled machine. The Dawid Bezuidenhout High School girls were not shy to roll up their sleeves and carried out the task enthusiastically. It was indeed an insightful experience.

It is amazing to see how much was accomplished by this group in such a brief space of time. The new normal has put a spoke in their activities but be assured that soon they will be on track once again, aiming to change.