#AppreciationMonday: The Durban siblings devoted to cleaning up their city
Leading by example...
To see people stand up and take action when it comes to clean up initiatives, we have got to say that it truly is admirable. Many people walk around with the mindset that it's not their responsibility.
Shifting the blame and saying that there are people getting paid to do that, now, that's not at all in the spirit of being a Durbanite. Three siblings are shifting this 'backward' mindset by taking on cleaning projects during their free time.
Read more: Environmental group cleaning up ‘gruesome’ rubbish in Umhlanga River
Shea, Siobhan, and Kieran McAlery are on a mission to clean up, as well as bring the beauty back to their city. One of the locations that they have adopted is the "Durban North Police Station as one of their clean-up projects, and have maintained the area outside the building since 2020.
"The siblings, who are part of a bigger group of clean-up activists, have painted the walls, cleaned up the flag posts and maintained the garden area outside the police station.
"As part of their own initiative, the family has installed new pots and planted new plants in them.They also cleared the garden beds of weeds and maintain them." (North Glen News)
Read more: Amanzimtoti couple take the cleaning of their streets into their own hands
When people come to the police station, they must feel safe and comfortable, which is the atmosphere we want to create by keeping the outside clean and tidy.
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Siobhan and her brother, Kieran, are part of The President’s Award programme, which requires them to complete 75-hours of voluntary community service a year. The programme is a way of grooming and upskilling young people so that they can reach their full potential.
Kieran shared that it was part of his school curriculum to fulfil 15 hours of community service a year. He said it would be great if other schools adopted this into their curriculum as well. We couldn't agree more. It is important to teach this value from a young age.
You have to be proud of where you live and make sure your home looks good. It’s about having a sense of pride. Hopefully more people can also adopt an area and help out.
Read more: Durban boy uses a craft of crochet he learnt online to make some money online
We are taking time to appreciate these siblings, who are not just inspiring but also have a great attitude when it comes to leading by example. It truly allows us to start the week off on a positive and uplifting note.
What have you done to start your week off on a positive note?
Image Courtesy of Facebook