Cape Town - In an effort to help make a difference in the lives of young children around Cape Town, Irfaan Abrahams is on route to lace up pupils in hopes of clearing the path for the next generation.
Having grown up in Athlone, the Grade 7 teacher has had first-hand experience of the struggles pupils face in the community. While sharing a tiny garage with his parents and three siblings, Abrahams aspired to improve his own life and the lives of others around him by going to college and giving back to the less fortunate.
With a mother who was a factory worker and a father who was an artisan in the building trade, Abrahams aimed to not only break the cycle of poverty around him but for those who grew up under the same circumstances as him by twinning his love for sport, and teaching, for the greater good.
"We had humble beginnings growing up. We didn't have much, and for the first 14 years of my life, it was planted in me to know what it is not to have anything given on a silver platter. My parents always encouraged us to go to school and educate ourselves so that we could break the cycle of the heavy apartheid times my parents had to endure."
“I remember her travelling by train from Athlone train station all the way to Salt River, where my mom worked at the clothing factory, and I would hand deliver samoosas at my mother's workplace so that the ladies at work had something to eat. Having to do this while I was still young taught me the goodness for the greater good of all," said Abrahams.
With Abrahams now an educator for 28 years, and a member of outreach organisation, Lace Up for Change, he was able to raise R300 000 worth of funds to spearhead the project that resulted in him handing over new school shoes to pupils at Dietrich Moravian Primary School in order to inspire, elevate, and motivate the pupils.
Upon receiving the school shoes, Dietrich Moravian Primary School principal, Liesl Fisher, said that the gesture meant a lot to the pupils as each pupil, as it instilled a sense of pride in them.
“Mr Abrahams is a teacher who not only gives his best to the pupils in his care but also to the impoverished communities and learners at other schools. This is commendable. He is selfless and can only be admired for his passion and drive to improve the lives of others."
"We serve the farming community as well as the surrounding informal settlements. Many pupils come from impoverished circumstances and do not come with the expected school uniform and school shoes. This gesture means a lot to our pupils, as each pupil will now have a pair of school shoes. This instils a sense of pride in them," said Fisher.
As a way of pushing forward, Abrahams said that it is important to change the mindset of the pupils at an early age with positive thoughts, as that will have a ripple effect on how they treat each other and how it will benefit the community in years to come.
"I live in Mitchells Plain, and every chance I get, I push to inspire learners about not being defined by their circumstances. Our community is plagued with unemployment, and that rubs off on our learners."
"If we can bring back a creative means of how to get people working again and to give them some self-confidence, it will rub off on the learners, and then I think that will be an opportunity to change our community's mindset," said Abrahams.
Weekend Argus