Be that Girl, an organisation that deals mostly with assisting girls from poor backgrounds, focused their attention on matric dances this year. The organisation managed to arrange dresses and make-up for 34 girls from two rural schools, namely Mushaathoni Secondary school and Thengwe Secondary school.
According to the chairperson of Be that Girl, Mpho Mafunise, they decided to help the young ladies to add some hope and sparkle to their lives. "Every girl has a dream of attending a matric dance one day. This is an important day for matric learners to bid farewell to their fellow classmates," she said.
Mafunise said that an outfit for a matric dance could cost a lot of money and many of the girls could not afford this. They also do not have the skills to make their own dresses. "I was also helped by someone to go to my matric dance," she said.
The members of Be that Girl started with a project to collect dresses and get volunteers to assist with the make-up of the girls. "Thanyani Tsalch Ralulimi was able to collect more than 20 dresses and more than 10 pairs of shoes," said Mafunise.
On the day of the matric dance, a team of women, including Humbulani Bereda, Maluta Rianangae, Tshilongamulenzhe Khodani and a well-known model, Pfariso, assisted with the make-up and fitting of the dresses. Mafunise thanked them and everyone else who contributed towards the project.
"We also helped them to save money, so that it can be used for varsity registrations next year," she said.