Gimmies giving a helping hand

Chanél Botha
Howard Zinn once said, “Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.” That is exactly what Windhoek Gymnasium’s learners are doing: changing the world one small act at a time.

Mrs Nicolene van Zyl, one of the teachers at Windhoek Gymnasium, saw a chance to give to those in need so she started an outreach group. It started out small but as soon as the learners saw what they could do in other’s lives, the fire lit in their hearts. They have an outreach every Wednesday where they go to different schools in the rural areas. They then play with these children and help them with homework. Most of the teachers at these centres are not qualified but they cannot bear to see the children growing up without education so they commit to helping the learners.

Millicent Hummel is a grade 10 learner in Windhoek Gymnasium and she is the vice‑chairman of the outreach programme. She says, “It is a pleasant feeling when others really appreciate the things we take for granted, so seeing that makes me appreciate what I have so much more.” Everyone at the outreach programme just wants to make a small difference in somebody’s life, even if it is by simply putting smiles on children’s faces. Millicent further said that she wants to keep making a difference and show other people how easily you can change someone else’s life.

Georgia Steenkamp is a grade 9 learner and she is a true inspiration to everyone. At 15 years old, she already saw how she could change someone else’s life. She wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives. She loved doing outreach programmes from a young age and this led to her joining the school’s outreach programme. Helping others is a blessing for her and that makes her truly happy.

We are so proud of our learners who have already made a difference; we hope that there will be plenty more children involved. So Gimmies, keep up the good work and keep changing the world, one small act at a time.