WINDHOEK – ‘Cinderella goes to prom’ is a non-profit organisation that identifies girls from less privileged homes and offers them a full matric farewell makeover.
Nadia Malima, the public relations officer of the organisation, said girls do not pay anything apart from N$30.00 for applying to be assisted.
“Our selection process is based on different elements; we do take into consideration the academic achievements of some learners,” said Malima.
Elizabeth Ipinge, the founder of the organisation explained that the aim is to help girls with big dreams but who don’t have the means to attend a matric farewell. “How this came about is that after matric I lost two friends, which made me realise that this is one formal night where you get to say bye to everyone and wish them well because it is not guaranteed when you will see them again,” said Ipinge.
Another motivator that pushed Ipinge to start the organisation was learners at various school who really wanted to go to the matric farewell but didn’t have the means. “What ‘Cinderella goes to prom’ tries to do is to remind young girls of their values and to show them that they are worthy,” added Ipinge. “We are not just about matric farewell, we also offer career guidance and mentorship and also hold workshops,” said Ipinge.
Meanwhile, Malima explained that generally people when assisting those in need of aid usually take the book-smart ones. “They leave out the other kids and only give attention to those who are book smart and in the process, the other learners become demotivated in the process,” she said. “We gave a chance to students who were not performing well but at the end of the year, all those girls passed with flying colours. All they needed was someone who believed in them and they got motivated,” said Malima. She said sometimes all people want to be rubbed on their shoulders and in recognition that they are seen and their existence is noted.
“We also encourage girls to apply for the ‘Cinderella goes to prom’ because before matric farewell girls fall prey to predators in the form of a blesser, because of the need to be given some form of assistance regarding matric farewell,” said Malima. She further stated that not everybody is peer pressure-resistant. “Not everybody has a strong backbone so we try to prevent that, and we are aware that it will be impossible to reach out to everybody but we are trying our best to help where we can,” she said.
The project is funded by Ipinge who is the founder, Malima who does public relations and Desiree Shivute who is the administrative assistant.
“We have partnerships with salons, nail technicians, dressmakers and many other people who make this event possible,” added Malima.