FACE THE CHANGE Act Sustainably “Define your life, don’t let it be defined for you. Life always has something better in store for you.” Ayanda Sali alias Einstein, groundBREAKER Everyone at the loveLife Centre calls Thobeka Mzuzu Szyre (left) “Sista T.” She talks to kids and adolescents about sexual education and health, and prescribes contraceptives. for many are not bright. And they are showing others how to build their futures, too. Young people apply to join the program, and the heart of the township where 99 percent of the population is black. It belongs to the city of Uitenhage (pronounced “yoo-tin-haig”). The center has seminar rooms, workstations, a snooker room, a radio studio and a health clinic with a counselling service, open WiFi, and a large sports arena in the inner courtyard. Vuvu comes here every day. This is the place that changed her life and where, day after day, she changes the lives of so many other people – sometimes just a little bit, sometimes in a big way. Vuvu and her two friends nicknamed Bubbles and Oshi are groundBREAKERS. They are pioneers. Young people who are building a future for themselves in surroundings where the prospects if they are accepted they are awarded a one-year scholarship. They work in the center financed by the Volkswagen Community Trust. The groundBREAKERS talk to the children and adolescents about contraception and health, about vocational training and family planning, they give courses and organize sports sessions. “loveLife is fun, entertainment, education, everything”, Vuvu explains. Oshi and Bubbles nod in agreement. For them, this is the ideal preparation for their working lives and brings the chance of a good education. The Volkswagen logo on the outside of the building and on the partition walls inside indicates how closely the Group engages with the center and its work. This is not marketing, this is a deep commitment. The Volkswagen plant is the largest private-sector employer in Eastern Cape. 61
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