Qonce activist Wonga Majila to represent SA at global forum

2,000 young people will discuss problems and their possible solutions

Wonga Majila attended a fancy private school in East London, but as a teen she noticed that life outside the school gates was not always so rosy for many residents of the city.

She got busy from the age of 16, teaching grade 3 pupils maths and English in Nompumelelo township .

With the many other community initiatives she has been active in, the Qonce-born Merrifield College alumnus is now taking her activism further on a global platform supported by the UN.

Majila will represent the country at the 2022 Younga BridgingTheGap’s Global Festival for Impact and will contribute to policy dialogues as well as co-create solutions with decision makers for a more inclusive, sustainable future.

For Majila most importantly, she will get to co-create solutions to global challenges related to the UN’s sustainable development goals.

The global organisation has 17 sustainable development goals to transform the world and the Qonce native is focusing on goal five

— gender equality.

Majila is among more than 2,000 young people from across the globe who will participate virtually in the global festival, set to run from September to October.

It is held virtually as many countries are on travelling restrictions because of Covid-19.

The Merrifield College alumnus said though she had grown up in a middle-class family, she had seen how people from townships like Nompumelelo, which was opposite her school, struggled to make ends meet.

“It never sat well with me paying more than R150,000 a year for school, and there were people living in abject poverty.

“The inequalities have always been in my face even though I never experienced them directly, always so near yet so far, and since then I made sure to dedicate time to bridge that gap, with a particular focus on young women,” she said.

Majila, who works as a media liaison person and sits on the board of East Londonbased NPO Amaqhawekazi Foundation which aims to bring about transformation in the lives of underprivileged teenage girls through nourishment, education, empowerment and sanitation.

Working with Amaqhawekazi, handing out sanitary towels to those in need, was fulfilling, she said, but she wanted to help out on a bigger scale.

She applied for the Younga opportunity in June and received an acceptance letter last week.

“The Younga festival is a huge platform working with the UN.

“I chose the women empowerment and gender equality stream because it resonated with my passion of empowering young people.

“We will talk about issues that face people in our communities and come up with solutions.

“We will put together an action plan that will be taken to the UN and decisions will be made on it and if it’s feasible, the streams will be approached for implementation. “The UN is a big organisation and being part of the Younga organisation grants one direct access to those people who have influence and can solve our problems.

“While working with Amaqhawekazi I noticed that we neglect the pain that comes with periods. Women need to be educated about their cycles, to be aware when something is wrong.

“I go through severe pain and take medication, but others have no choice but to endure it.

“Hopefully one day it will get to the point where sanitary towels are distributed with medication and everything necessary to get through that period.

“I’m very excited to be a part of the programme and it feels so surreal that I will be the voice of the country, especially as someone from East London.

“I will make it my mandate to make the most of it and now that people know about my participation I would appreciate it if they approach me with their problems so I can raise them in this platform.”