As South Africa prepares to welcome the world for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup and show off among other achievements its newly acquired stadiums and accommodation facilities, the National Youth Development Agency asks that South Africans take a moment to think about the 69 freedom fighters who were killed during the Sharpeville massacre, an event that marked a turning point in South Africa’s history.
“With South Africa being part of the international community and young people having the right to go to their school of choice or pursue any career, it is very easy to move forward and take for granted the very rights that our fellow brothers and sisters were denied and died for,” said Andile Lungisa, the NYDA Executive Chairperson.
Under this year’s Human Rights Day theme: “Working Together we can do More to Protect Human Rights”, the NYDA will mark the day by visiting different communities and disseminating information about its various programmes and services that young people can take advantage of.
“We hope that in addition to using their rights and freedom to empower themselves, young people will honour the heroes and heroines who made it all possible by taking time to give back to their communities through voluntary work.
“The National Youth Service (NYS) programme is a government initiative that enables young people to not only gain skills such as plumbing or bricklaying, but also find ways to serve their communities by using those skills to assist vulnerable communities, thus giving impetus to nation building,” says Lungisa
“As the NYDA we have rolled our shirts and are working tirelessly to ensure that we support as many young possible as possible, our target is to make our services and products available at all 283 municipalities, so that the freedom fighters’ efforts are not in vain,” concludes Lungisa.
Source: National Youth Development Agency
