If the reputation of South Africa’s youth was ever in doubt, young men like 20-year old Keenen Ivory Zulu surely make a case for a new talented and conscious generation that is emerging to give back to critical social needs.
Keenen generously and enthusiastically volunteers most of his time; he is not paid a single cent. The organisation he serves, Bokamoso Care Centre, offers infected and affected members of the community psychosocial support, food parcels, referrals, sports, and other forms of arts and culture programmeming. Bokamoso has given Keenen the very impressive title of Acting Director of Arts & Culture. In this capacity, Keenen writes plays, dramas and songs in order to make health education fun and entertaining. He says engaging with clients is the reason he gets up in the morning, and he excitedly reports that he has never been absent. To him, his volunteering is a 24-hour-a-day affair as he is constantly thinking and planning, even in his sleep!
While the ideas and passions are plentiful, the financial support is usually non-existent. Sometimes, he and his colleagues might need to go somewhere to perform, treat or counsel, and they neither have nor can afford the transport costs to get them there. Other times they need team uniforms for sports games or props for their drama performances but do not have the money to acquire them. An exuberantly passionate young man, he like many champions across the country, has not allowed a lack of funding, limited other resources and lack of transportation services deter him from faithfully offering his time, energy and love into growing the organisation so that it can serve every needy person in the community he calls home.