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| March 17, 2007 |
| Oprah opens second South African school |
Oprah Winfrey opened her second school for poor South African youth Friday, an innovative, environmentally friendly institution she hopes will be a model for public education.
The Seven Fountains Primary School was funded by Oprah's Angel Network, a public charity that supports organizations and projects focused on education and literacy.
"The Seven Fountains School is an example of what schools in South Africa can become," Winfrey said at the formal dedication of the school outside the remote town of Kokstad in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.
Dressed casually in a cream top and white pants, the talk show host danced and sang with teachers and children who lauded her with cries of "Long live Oprah, long live!"
Winfrey first visited the school in 2002 when it was located on a farm, bringing gifts, clothing, books and teacher-training materials for its 1,000 students and staff.
The school was later forced to move from the farm and relocated to a building with no windows, little electricity and running water, and only four toilets.
During a follow-up visit in 2004, the Angel Network committed itself to building a new school.
"We thought the school you had before was not good enough, so we wanted to build the best school for you," she told the children Friday.
The $1.6 million school, which will be run by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education, has 25 classrooms, three multipurpose rooms, a library, computer center, landscaped playground and two sports fields.
The supply of water to the area is irregular, so the school has an innovative system that recycles rain water and uses seesaws and merry-go-rounds to pump water. It also uses solar power and has landscaped gardens that supply vegetables for school meals.
"It can be done within the expectations of budgets. We used our imagination and creativity to build not only a good school but a great school," Winfrey said.
Winfrey emphasized the importance of education in combatting poverty and said every child had a right to succeed. "We are here today to celebrate the transformative power of education," she said.
Principal Veliswa Mnukwa praised Winfrey for responding to their plight and called her an "angel." "This is the second time you are visiting us, but now it is a very different school ... Nothing compares with what you have done for us," she said.
Nduli Amahle, 11, marveled at the school's transformation.
"I want to thank Oprah for giving us this school. It is going to change my life and help me become a doctor," she said.
Parent Lindiwe Mbambo said the school is also going to have a lasting affect on the community.
"Even as a parent I am going to participate here. There is a night school, a computer center and a library that we can use. I can't express my gratitude for Oprah. The old school was so miserable," she said.
Winfrey opened her Leadership Academy for Girls outside Johannesburg to great fanfare on January 2, with celebrities like Tina Turner and Spike Lee in attendance, as well as former President Nelson Mandela.
The lavish $40 million school was the fulfillment of a promise she made to Mandela six years ago and aims to give 152 girls from deprived backgrounds a quality education in a country where schools are struggling to overcome the legacy of apartheid.
But some parents have complained to local media about academy rules limiting the girls to one family visit a month and restricting their cell phone calls and consumption of junk food.
"It was a nightmare," Frances Mans told the News24 Web site. "We had only two hours to see my child. Surely this isn't a prison?" |
posted by viraks @ 9:41:00 AM  |
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