Emeris Wellness Week Brings NGOS and Students Together

Students at Emeris Durban North and The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga stepped out of the lecture room and into the community during a recent NGO Open Day, connecting directly with organisations making a difference across KwaZulu-Natal.

Held as part of Emeris Wellness Week, the event on both campuses brought together approximately 19 non-governmental organisations. This gave students and staff the opportunity to learn more about the work the NGOs do and how they could get involved as volunteers.

A wide range of organisations spanning community care, mental health, animal welfare and youth outreach were represented on the two campuses. These included the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA), Phoenix Child Welfare, The Highway Hospice, LifeLine, Rise Against Hunger, the SPCA, Animal Anti-Cruelty League, Red Frogs Support Network, The Association for the Aged (Tafta), The Jess Foord Foundation and the KZN Deaf Association.

Kwanele Ngcobo (KZN Co-ordinator at Red Frogs Support Network) said the response from students was encouraging. “It was an amazing experience. Many students said they’ve seen us at Splashy Fen and Rage and wanted to know how they could get involved,” he said.

Red Frogs is a party safe organisation which supports young people aged 17 to 30 by providing a positive peer presence in alcohol fuelled environments through promoting safer partying and offering alcohol free alternatives.

“We recognise that when people are under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they often open up about what they’re going through,” Ngcobo explained. “We’re there to listen, help them sober up and to connect them to the right help”.

Students interested in volunteering with Red Frogs must be 18 or older, must complete a two day training programme and must remain sober while on duty at events.

For Christon Singh (Second year IIE Bachelor of Education in Intermediate Phase Teaching student at Emeris Durban North) the Open Day was also an opportunity to share her volunteer journey.

Singh has been volunteering with Phoenix Animal Care and Treatment (PACT) since December 2025.

“Animals are my passion. I became a dog owner for the first time in 2020 and fell in love. I wanted to give back and came across PACT through a Phoenix lost and found WhatsApp group,” she said.

Through her experience, Singh has gained practical knowledge and mentorship from long time volunteer Jenn Jaganathan.

At the NGO Open Day, Singh assisted at the PACT stand, where students were introduced to Alice, one of the organisation’s rescued dogs.

“Alice was rescued from Phoenix,” explained Jaganathan. “She’s a fireworks victim who lost her hearing when her eardrum burst”.

While Alice is not up for adoption, Jaganathan encouraged those interested in fostering, adopting or volunteering to learn more through PACT’s website - https://phoenixanimalcare.org.za.

At The Vega School at Emeris uMhlanga, Amile Maphumulo (third year IIE Bachelor of Commerce in Digital Marketing student) enjoyed interacting with Sanele Ngwane (Deaf Facilitator at the KZN Deaf Association) and Upasna Ramballi (Social Worker at the KZN Deaf Association). They were both impressed with Maphumulo’s knowledge of sign language.

“I taught myself how to use sign language through YouTube tutorials,” Maphumulo explained. “I learnt the alphabets, how to sign my name and have a simple conversation. I’m still learning, but it felt good to be able to speak with Sanele using sign language”.

Second year IIE Bachelor of Commerce in Digital Marketing students Lisa Shange, Amelia Govender and Edmara Alexandre learnt how to say: “nice to meet you” and “I love you” in sign language and even how to spell their names. “It was fascinating to learn that the deaf community has created unique signs for people’s names. Instead of spelling out a name, you can use a single sign,” said Alexandre.

They were also shown the name signs used for Presidents Cyril Ramaphosa and Donald Trump, as well as former US President Barack Obama.

Ramballi the KZN Deaf Association is currently developing sign language posters for police stations to help officers communicate more effectively with deaf individuals reporting crimes or opening cases.

“This will be particularly helpful in gender based violence cases, where members of the deaf community are especially vulnerable,” she said.