Zinhle Matentji, the firm’s founder, owner and also a help2read board member, identified Chiba as the ideal candidate having observed his previous tenure as executive director at the NGO City Year, which he held for three years. Chiba studied as a scientist and obtained an MBA from GIBS but has a natural inclination to help others, which has steered his career path in a different direction from which he originally studied.
“We earmarked Chiba for the position in 2011 already but he wasn’t ready to leave his job at the time,” says Matentji. “I knew we had to re-approach him when the opportunity arose again because he has both the leadership and vision for the organisation, our donors and supporters, as well as compassion for the help2read learners and the volunteers who are providing a vital educational resource.”
Matentji has been on the help2read board since 2011 and understands that literacy is fundamental to the success of future generations. “Education is also paramount to ensuring that we continue to grow the quota of executive candidates that we place for our clients,” she says.
Today, Chiba and Matentji visited the children of Ekukhanyisweni Primary School in Alexandra where the help2read programme has been implemented for a year. Comments the school’s coordinating teacher of the help2read programme, Ouma Makuwa, “I have noticed that the programme has helped the learners to improve and expand their vocabulary, become more confident and develop better language usage.”
help2read was established in 2005 to contribute to the improvement of education by calling on volunteers to assist schoolchildren to overcome the hurdles to literacy. The NGO is always looking for additional volunteers.
For more information, phone 012 752 9984 or email
[email protected].