Thulani Madondo

"This is our communal tap. This tap will be shared by 80 to 100 families," he explains. "Kliptown is a community of plus or minus 45 000 people without a lot of basic things like electricity." In Kliptown poverty  ravages the land, but one person is trying to change the future of this town. Thulani Madondo grew up in Kliptown, sharing a metal shack with his mother and seven other siblings. Madondo started the Kliptown Youth Program, (KYP) this program is giving children a proper education and a warm meal every day.When most people think of Thulani Madondo they don't exactly think of a global icon. Madondo deserves the title hero as much as any celebrity,  for his intelligent, persevering, and caring heart and mind.

Thulani Madondo contains the embodiment of the characteristic of intelligence after he got his diploma at the University of the Witwatersrand. Madondo showed his intelligence when he started the Kliptown Youth Program with limited funds and a giant dream. The only way for Thulani to start to make his program a success is to have an education; "Armed with a Community Development Diploma from the University of the Witwatersrand and seven years of training and experience in various youth development programmes, he decided to help to build his community by opening KYP in 2007."( Mackay 1).After not having enough money to get a proper education as a child he came back as a young adult so he could help the youth of Kliptown in their struggle to get an education. There are problems in the future of Kliptown but at least now Madondo knows the answers to the problems; "We didn't want to see other young people going through what we'd gone through: no uniforms ... feeling hungry in class," Madondo said. "We know the problems of this community, but we also know the solutions"(Toner 1). This town is a dark place that now one can escape from once you have been born into it, but Madondo is changing this town for the better so the children can have the chance to escape from the black hole of Kliptown. Madondo is more devoted to these children more than any other resident in the town of Kliptown.

Madondo also is very persevering in his struggles of his childhood in Kliptown. Growing up Madondo didn't have a lot, but the one thing that he wanted the most was an education to get out of Kliptown."Growing up  in Kliptown, in a one-room shack that he shared with seven other siblings, he knows the challenges of young people in this area"(Hartigh 1). All of Madondo's siblings never got to go to high school. He was the only one able to afford to because he took a job washing cars during school. All of Madondo siblings gave up and got a full time job, but Madondo persevered for years until he got his degree for college and now he helps other children get their degree. All the time Madondo has to support 400 children with food, drinks, and a tutor for their education. "Thulani has been contributing towards providing educational support and extramural activities to eradicate poverty and to combat the disadvantages encountered by the youth of Kliptown." Every day is a constant battle to get the youth of the program the essentials for their needs. Madondo is persevering and keeps every childs head and mind full so they keep off the streets. Madondo's perseverance truly shows how he is a hero to this town and it's children. He is a true leader and has true passion for helping others.

Another quality that Madondo contains is that he is caring for the town and for the children of kliptown. Through out Thulani's life he has cared for seven siblings and his mother, but now he is caring for 400 children in the kliptown Youth Program physically and mentally. "Thulani Madondo, 30, has dedicated his life to improving the fate of the Kliptown youth, Soweto township, South Africa, November 2012. (S. Honorine/VOA)." Every day is a constant rush for Madondo because he is feeding, tutoring, and supporting all the children with 15 other volunteers. Madondo is also young to be running and working a full-fledged program for uneducated youth in kliptown.Madondo and all of the other volunteers care how to get them a scholarship to get into college "It's such a great thing to give back," said Munyai, who makes time to tutor at least twice a week. "We can actually help the new generation to succeed. A little can go a long way" (Toner 1). No one would be looking out for these children and for their health if it wasn't for Madondo and the KYP. These youth would be on the streets and starve or get into crime to steal and get the food for themselves. Madondo cares for these children and cares so that they don't end up on the streets he provides them with meals every day so they won't starve. Thulani Madondo and the volunteers of Kliptown Youth Program are the only ones who truly care what happens to these children and their future.

Thulani Madondo isn't known as a global icon or beacon of hope to most people, but Madondo doesn't need any of that type of recognition. It doesn't matter what the price is to Madondo. He will stick his neck out for any one of the kids in Kliptown. "Helping them, I feel excited," Madondo said. "We want them to realize there's something they can contribute to this world. ... We're trying to give them the sense that everything is possible."(Toner 1). Even in dire situations Madondo remains calm and gives these kids support, that is what makes Madondo an inspiration. During impossible tasks Thulani reassures the children that everything will be okay and that they can achieve any of their dreams big or small. Everyday is struggle for the residents of Kliptown, without the essentials, but Madondo gives the town of Kliptown a beam of hope for the future in the children's hearts.