It is not hard to see why Mpumi Masinga’s iButho Le Africa (iLA), which works with young boys in rural areas, won the Humanitarian Award at the 10th SEIFSA Awards for Excellence on November 20 at the Radisson Hotel & Convention Centre in Kempton Park.

When presenting Masinga with the award, SEIFSA Vice-President Elias Monage said her work reminded everyone of the importance of service and how it was a more powerful form of leadership than authority. The work she does is “about lifting others so that they too can stand tall”, he said.

Masinga is also very much about forging new paths rather than following well-trodden ones. First, she has made a commitment to empower boys and young men because she is worried of the dangers that lie ahead if we do not balance the scale between the genders. “We cannot do to men what has been done to women. When I started iButho Le Africa I decided to ignore everyone who thought I was crazy and focus on boys, especially in the rural areas, as the boys in the suburbs and the townships have at least some opportunities.”

She worried that the important drive to empower young girls in South Africa had the unintended consequence of sidelining young boys and leaving them feeling “forgotten and ignored”.

It is vital to acknowledge that no one benefits if South Africa fails to reach its young boys. “Crime is where the boys who have been failed end up,” Masinga warns. “But we want to produce self-regulating boys, and we want them to dream big.”

iLA was established in 2019, with the goal of equipping boys with essential life skills, guiding them to reach their full potential through mentorship, coaching and support. The non-profit organisation “applies its unique iSTREAM framework to foster entrepreneurial mindset, academic excellence, psychological wellness, emotional intelligence and gender tolerance among young men”.

The iSTREAM programme is the second example of Masinga doing things her way. While incorporating the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) subjects, iSTREAM goes much further, incorporating a much broader selection. iLA is committed to helping young people to find their purpose and recognises that not everyone has a natural affinity for maths and science.

“STEM speaks only to science and maths, but we need to add in art and music to make sure we do not leave anyone behind,” insists Masinga.

The acronym iSTREAM stands for:

• I – Innovation.
• S – Sports; Science.
• T – Technology; Tourism.
• R – Research; Robotics; Rehabilitation; Recreation.
• E – Entrepreneurship; Engineering Environment; Energy.
• A – AI (artificial intelligence); Agriculture; Arts; Aviation.
• M – Mathematics; Mining; Minerals; Marine; Media.

The iSTREAM interventions (which are available for both boys and girls) in all these focus areas via summer and winter camps and other programmes begin in primary school and continue beyond university.

Masinga wants young people to “plug into the iSTREAM to find themselves and what works for them. Falling out of the iSTREAM must be avoided. I would like them to be glued to the iSTREAM until they find their purpose.”

The iSTREAM, encompassing a wide range of subjects and focus areas, is a complete curriculum, which Masinga would like to see adopted as the national educational curriculum one day. 

With her drive and determination, that may well come to pass.