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Sesi Mahlangu

Restoring dignity with new school shoes

Sesi Mahlangu outside her home in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng © Thom Pierce 2023

The butterfly effect describes how one small action can have considerable repercussions. Sometimes it’s the simple ideas that can make a huge impact on another person’s life. 


Sesi Mahlangu is on a mission to give young learners new school shoes. This is her simple idea. It is the backbone of her organisation, Dream Foundation. She believes that a decent pair of shoes can give a child dignity and pride, changing the way they see themselves and the way that they engage with others.


By ticking off one of the many items on the worry list of young learners in Ekhuruleni, she believes that they will engage in school a little more, be bullied a little less and walk a little taller. 


She understands that many kids also need uniforms, textbooks, transport and food, but a decent pair of shoes is a start.


“My dream is for them to focus on what they need to focus on. Not having shoes to wear should not be their responsibility.”


Sesi’s parents died when she was very young and she was raised by her older sister and her husband, who she now refers to as her parents. She grew up in a family that supported her in every way that they could.


It was the realisation that other kids at her school could not afford a pair of shoes that inspired Sesi and her friend to save their money and buy a pair for one of their classmates.


In 2019, at the age of 21, Sesi started Dream Foundation and launched a social media campaign to collect 59 pairs of shoes for school children in her community. The next year they managed to collect 89 pairs.  Each year they will approach a school and ask the teachers to identify learners who do not have the means to buy shoes.


As well as the shoe drive, they also run yearly workshops, called “I’m Complete”, for 50 girls. The program helps them to deal with issues related to GBV, self esteem and teenage pregnancy.


They have also started a boy’s camp that aims to get young men talking openly about their struggles and steering them in the direction of becoming more meaningful members of society.


“I just have this fire in my heart for the youth, a love for the youth. What my parents gave me, that’s the inspiration. The love that they gave me I want to put out to others that didn’t receive what I got.”


This year Sesi wants to raise 120 pairs of shoes for learners in Ekhuruleni. Shoes can be bought for between R250-R300 and are needed in sizes 1-5. To donate a pair, please visit The Actionists website for more details. 



CREATED FOR positive activism © 2025

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