Selborne College pulling out the stops to help Ubuko get prosthetic hands

The Selborne College family have put their heart and soul into ensuring that Ubuko Mpotulo receives his prosthetic hands before the end of the year.

The school is participating in several activities to ensure a target of R600,000 is met.  

The initiative is said to be on track, with pupils joining in to help and the school’s soccer team and teachers pledging to make a difference.

At first the school relied on the rugby team to raise funds but now everyone has joined in to help Ubuko.

Ubuko is a grade 8 pupil who uses prosthetic legs and has only two digits on his hands.

He contracted viral meningitis when he was just three years old and had to have both legs and eight fingers amputated.

The school began the “Tries or Lives” campaign when rugby season officially opened. The first rugby team was responsible for generating funds.

For each try in a rugby match the community and public contributed money.

The team is now standing at an amount of R30,000.

In an additional activity, teacher Jono Kruger and pupils Bradley De Kok and Sebastian Taylor will be walking from Gqeberha to East London from July 1-6. 

They will walking from Selborne to Grey College, a distance of about 300km.

Kruger, who is the for Sport for Lives co-ordinator said multiple activities had to be undertaken to reach their target.

For each kilometre walked, they are looking for donors to donate R1, which adds up to R300 after their completion.

“Because it’s Selborne’s 150-year anniversary, the rugby team wanted to help Ubuko to receive prosthetic hands,” Kruger said.

“The team has started fundraising, but to fulfil the objective various initiatives have to take place.”

In another initiative, the grade 11 pupils will sell goods and the money made will go to Ubukho's funds. 

The soccer team were starting their initiative, Goal for Ubukho, and a mountain race would also be run, Kruger said.

Kruger said the school was gaining momentum with its fundraising, but was still asking for the community’s support. 

“We are asking the community to pledge at least R1 for each kilometre we walk.”

De Kok, the head boy, said it was a decent thing to do when one of their own was in need. 

“I wanted to get involved,” he said.

“We kept asking what else we could do for Ubuko, what we could do to help.”

De Kok approached Taylor, who agreed to join the walk.

Taylor said it was important that he joined in as Ubuko had become part of his family.

Goitsiman Bahula has been entrusted by the team to keep the community updated about the trip.

Bahula will report on the walkers’ experiences and the support they receive.

Bruce Choudriee said his role was to provide support to the walkers.

Choudriee said he would join in by doing the little things which the walkers could not do.

“This is something bigger than me and us,” he said.

“I have always wanted to do something for the community and I wouldn’t have done otherwise,” he said.

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