1. 34 www.transformsa.co.za
YOUTH
Young, dedicated, driven by the satisfaction of
extending a hand and making a difference
in society. At 13 Kimberly Malope has received
numerous accolades for the impeccable things
she has achieved. She is ambassador for Edu-
Adoddle whose objective is to foster seamless
communication and cooperation between parents,
teachers and students for a better society.
Generating the confidence and belief in herself
from her mother Rachel Malope, who introduced
her to the world of public speaking she says‘I always
used to attend community outreach events with
her, whereby she would listen to speakers and she
got very much inspired by that. She was inspired to
be a helping hand in the community and to inspire
other Youth of South Africa. Our late President, Tata
Nelson Mandela inspired her when he said that
education is the most powerful weapon which can
be used to change the world and it is in your hands
Age should not limit individuals, giving back is vital thing because
just like a cocoon transforms into a butterfly, good deeds also
cocoon into a better tomorrow.
Writer: Zinhle Motsepa
Diamond
in the rough
Speaking her way to creating a better South Africa
Pic needed

2. 35Volume 14 • 2015
YOUTH
pull quote please
now’. This gave young Kimberly the opportunity to
soak in all the knowledge and lend a hand to the
youth and the community.
As part of its community out-reach programme,
ASITE Africa’s CSI project decided to collaborate
with Kimberly, to support her with her quest to
use her public speaking abilities to motivate her
peers and communities at large. Her gift of dishing
out pearls of wisdom to hundreds of people, has
taken Kimberly all around the country. She has
also been to New York, London, Argentina, Hong
Kong, Washington, Brazil and Zimbabwe. Kimberly
has rubbed shoulders with high ranking members
of society, such as President Jacob Zuma, Mama
Graca Machel and ministers, Aaron Motswaledi
and Thulas Nxesi. It is for certain that dynamite
does come in small packages, as she has addressed
world leaders, members of parliament, students,
and young people her age and even older.
Challenging and raising awareness about the HIV/
AIDS epidemic.
Kimberly celebrates her birthday by going to
orphanages and donating clothes and toys that
she no longer needs; people who want to give her
gifts do so by donating them to the children. Her
supportive family and community have committed
themselvestodonatinggiftsandgivingthemtothe
children. Her acts of goodness in 2012 secured her
an invitation from the Nelson Mandela Foundation,
to be part of the dialogue with former President of
the United States Of America Bill Clinton and his
daughter Chelsea. Clinton was impressed by the
way Kimberly conducted herself to the extent that
he offered his services to assist her in making an
even bigger impact on South Africa.
According to BrandSA, in 2014, nine million girls
between the ages of 13-19 missed a week of
school every month due to the lack of sanitary
towels. This presents a huge challenge as it
disturbs their education. Kimberly has collaborated
with Imbumba Foundation to address the issue
by distributing sanitary towels to needy girls. Her
first stop was in Nelspruit in Mpumalanga, then
Tembisa in Gauteng and Polokwane in Limpopo.
Through her travels around the provinces she
has managed to share her vast knowledge on
pressing matters affecting young girls such as,
the importance of education, personal hygiene
and grooming for girls, the dangers of substance
abuse, gender based violence, reproductive health,
teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS .
Her selflessness has gotten her support from
various entities, who believe in her initiative and
abilities. In 2013 for Mandela Day Kimberly traveled
to Limpopo and donated school uniforms as well
as books to help establish a library for the Mogoshi
Primary School. With the number of children
going to school on an empty stomach continuing
to grow, Kimberly has been encouraged to raise
awareness about the importance of agriculture by
creating a vegetable garden in Zama Monte Sorri
Primary School, Benoni.
Apart from putting others first, she also takes time
out to do what children her age do such as playing
sports, singing, acting , poetry, swimming, learning
how to play the piano, guitar, as well as learning
how to speak Mandarin. She has motivated debate
teams from Soweto Freedom Park, the women of
integrity Methodist church also found in Soweto. In
2012 she was nominated as a Read Star champion
by the Read Education Fund, in the same year
she received over 8 medals along with her book
club. To top it all off she has 3 diplomas in drama
and a countless number of prestigious awards.
After completing her studies at Entheos Christian
School based in Centurion, in the next ten years
she would like to acquire a degree in music and
drama. As well as start her own public speaking
and entrepreneurship center.
ASITEhaspledgedtosponsorherstudiesinLondon,
her outreach projects, and accommodation
and travel when she attends education and
development events, where she will be launching
Edu-Adoddle nationally. The sky is definitely not
the limit for Kimberly. Nelson Mandela once said,”
I pay tribute to the endless heroism of youth”,
commending and taking a leaf out of Kimberly’s
book would place us all in the right direction.