Life@NMMU: Hangout4ubuntu ... thanks Team NMMU!

Hangout4ubuntu was a great team effort

650 metres of clothing, hundreds of contributors, 60 bags for charity, 30 "peggers", seven thrilled recipients and one great value in action – Ubuntu.

That, in short, is the sum total of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University’s clothing charity drive, Hangout4ubuntu, during which clothing was pegged along the fencing from North to South campuses in a visible show of what happens when people come together to support a worthy venture. Watch a four-minute video to get a better idea...:

It’s called teamwork.

It’s also called Ubuntu.

The project was hugely successful for so many reasons:

It benefitted seven charities with clothing

It highlighted what happens when you work together for a cause

It showcased NMMU’s value of Ubuntu to about 12 000 motorists who visit North and South campuses

It had great teambuilding benefits (within departments, across departments and between staff and students)

It’s ability to spread good cheer

All round, Hangout4ubuntu is a winner – and likely to become an annual project for NMMU.

Personally, it was the team aspect that won the day, the coming together of so many individuals to benefit others.

It started with Carmen, a mature BPsych student, who arrived at my office with four black bags of shoes and clothing prior to the actual event. She’d had a clean out and wanted to contribute.

The same sentiment – that of wanting to contribute to something bigger – pervaded NMMU’s airwaves too, as the newly-launched Madibaz Radio mobilized students to spring clean their wardrobes and donate clothing to the initiative.

The team from Madibaz Radio walked their talk delivering a car-full of goodies and “peggers”, as did all NMMU’s student residences, whose contributions filled the back of a bakkie (the transport was provided by NMMU’s Technical Services for free that day).

Then there were the student societies like Golden Key, galvanized into action by NMMU’s Student Governance team, and all the individuals, like Carmen, who took heed of the call to action and donated clothing. Miss NMMU was there too!

It was a joint outpouring of kindness that will benefit the following seven charities:

Oosterland Child and Youth Care Centre

Algoa Frail Care Centre

Cheshire Homes Cleary Park

Enkuselweni Secure Youth Centre

Angel Network

Healing Hands

Love Story

Originally, there had been five charities, but in a further expression of Ubuntu, we invited Queen V, of Veritas residence, to join the party instead of flying solo in her mission as a PR student to support the charity Healing Hands. Similarly, as the team sorted the clothing contributions, they opted to add Love Story to the mix because of the large number of baby clothing items donated.

So to those who donated, those who pegged, those who rallied others to spring clean, those who collected, those who hooted in support, those who committed to getting involved next time, those who put up posters, those who got involved … we say THANK YOU!

Thank you TEAM NMMU!

Thank you for living out the value of Ubuntu.