Country of Residence
South Africa
Age
19
Project title
Healthy Horizon Movement
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
Healthy Horizon Movement is a campaign focused on cleaning schoolyards to create a healthy and safe environment for young minds who hold the promise of a bright future, even in a world challenged by diseases and chronic illnesses caused by pollution and dirt.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
https://www.instagram.com/healthyhorizonmovement1?stkn=MXNkaTN3YmRlMGd6Nw==
Project Category
My project is a brand new / emerging idea
Project Stage
Pilot-Stage (We’ve tried an activity or two)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
Growing up I had always dreamt of having my own organization that would help those in need. With all the challenges I have witnessed in my community, donating pads, toiletries and food parcels to kids in my school always seemed like a correct way to help. With the passion that I had to help those in need, the capital I needed to start my own organization always seemed to be a set back. Even though I had to money to donate to those who are in need more than I am, I still found a way to help where I can. A year ago I got a chance to be part of the 2025 TechGirls program and in this program we were given an opportunity to make a change in our own communities. With their task and funds I was able to continue with looking out for my community. I realized that many schools in my community couldn't keep up with cleaning the schoolyards every now and then. I then decided to come up with an idea of cleaning schools and helping with outside lessons were I taught the school kids about the garden and how can we use the dirt from cleaning the schools to maintain the gardens.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
The main problem that I am helping to solve is littering in school premises. We live in a country were Ubuntu is the key foundation of our interconnectedness as a nation, where humanity and comparison are embraced to encourage individuals to support and uplift one another and where collectiveness is valued over individualism. Therefore I want to meet the school as well as the parents halfway by simply cleaning waste material in school. My project benefits both the school as well as parents because the people behind this course are the school kids and we cannot blame them because they are just toddlers. It's really hard to teach toddlers not to litter and always throw trash in the bins because they are simply kids and they are very forgetful. Having them to take such a responsibility alone brings nothing to them but frustrations. Growing up in a community that is already judged by the community members and discarded by outsiders made me to have a goal to make it in life, leave the place and to never look back. It wouldn't be fair to abandon my own community because in reality we are not going to make it all of us. Therefore helping the community with cleaning schools would improve the learning conditions of the pupils and make them have a purpose because now they are exposed to change unlike when I was growing up. Therefore my project will therefore bring change and purpose.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
Firstly I ask permission from the principal to address the kids in class and educate them about the importance of keeping the school clean and how much illnesses can dirt cause. With the kids now understanding the main idea of the function, I introduce my project and its course so that they do not take me as a stranger when they see me in their school. With the help of other workers in school and available teachers at that time we split into groups and starts cleaning. Our main focus is is in the classrooms. All the cleaning processes happen during weekends so that everyday classes are not disturbed by my work. When cleaning the classrooms we scrap the floor, walls, clean the windows, the tables and chairs, as well as the doors. Then we move outside the classes whereby we will be sweeping and cleaning the pavements and repainting where necessary. The trees are also being taken of, the ones that needs to be trimmed they are trimmed. Then we move to the important part which is picking up litter. The litter that we pick up is collected neatly into refugee bags. Vegetation litter such as cabbages, tomatoes, butternut and others disposed by the cooking crew at the school is also collected and put in one place for the school's gardening scheme to use it as compost.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
My project is still in the early stage. It was developed last year and has only worked with one school in my community. Even though I visited the school three times to do the job, I intend to do more than that. My goal is to work with all the primary schools in my area which are a total of four schools in two years of the project's making. Then I will move to secondary schools which are three in total so that everyone in the community that raised me benefits. In the meantime I will continue working with the one primary school I started with. So far a number of twelve teachers and forty-one parents helped with the cleaning campaign. Two more organizations have partnered with the school to help with my idea of cleaning the school. Also I am planning on working with the local NGOs in my community to help my campaign reach its highest potential. This will help me to partner with more organizations and be heard by others with the same mindset as me.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
Many people do not want to associate themselves with anything that will harm they're health and get them dirty. I am saying this because I have never heard of any organization in my community doing the same work I do, helping with cleaning the schools. Therefore it is less likely for other people to have similar ideas. Those who already has ideas are approaching the matter in a very basic manner which is pretty obvious that they pick up litter in surrounding areas or even schools. Mine is different because not only do I pick up litter in school, I make sure that everyone who is affected by the outcome engage. This includes the principal, the teachers, the general workers, the assistant teachers, the kids as well as the parents. I give the school a cause and an effect of the problem then come up with a solution. I help with outside lessons about nature and how to preserve it. I help the kids with learning subjects such as mathematics, natural sciences and social sciences in the garden. I teach them everyday life in the garden relating to their studies, using the very same litter and dirt we pick up from the school to maintain it's unique beauty. I believe that this is an old method of maintaining a healthy environment in the school with new innovations added to it. The school's garden is thriving using compost from it's own the dirt so I figured it will be useful to continue with their method in a unique way, by involving the whole school and not just the people behind the gardening scheme.
How many people are on your team?
1
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
For now I am working alone and the only assistance I have is from the teachers, parents, and the school's gardening scheme. I have not recruited anyone as I have not found anyone who is willing to work with me free of charge and not expecting payments from the school.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
The first next step that I am planning to take is getting group of 5 people on my team who will understand that Healthy Horizon Movement is a non-profit organization therefore the schools will not be paying us for cleaning. Then I will be able to assign roles to each and every one of them roles. With a larger team I will be able to work more with other school and then the organization will have a backbone and it will not just be an organization owned by a small girl with no help. With my team around I will be able to achieve my goal of cleaning all the primary and secondary schools in my community. Therefore I will be able to officially register my organization with the Department of Social Development(DSD) so that it can comply with the NPO Act. This process will then open doors for me to operate wherever and whenever without fear of legal actions against me.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
With today's technology growing rapidly, social media is the fastest way to get people to join my organization and make change, but it can only work if they are interested. Posting on my official social media pages to let people know about the organization's social media will bring more followers on the organization's page. Other old methods like spreading this project to people I come across is also working for me as more people find it interesting. I also attend events at my school that are similar to my course and I share about my project to companies that are available as well as investors. I have also shared my project to programs such as NextUp, TechGirls and Devoted Citizens and all of these programs have made an impact as they encouraged it and helped with funds as well as helping with the cleaning.
