Finn Rajna - Mitzvah Project

It was easy for me to choose what I was going to do for a mitzvah project. There is a ballet school in Gugulethu called ZAMA and

I have been going there since I was 5 years old. My mom is the ballet teacher there and I used to spend one afternoon a week during all my years at Gan Aviv and Herzlia Primary.

Therefore, it was natural for me to start making friends and playing with kids who lived a very different life to me.

When I was very young, I didn’t notice so much, but as I got older, I realised that the things I took for granted were luxuries for most of them. For example, one year on my birthday I got two soccer balls as presents, so I gave one to my friends at Zama and they were so happy because they were using a soft, broken ball. One boy told me that he had never played with a brand-new ball before. I think it was very good for me to go there…. I even did ballet for a year and a half.

For my mitzvah project, I asked if I could come to help serve lunch for the feeding scheme. The school gives the students a sandwich and fruit after every class, but because of Covid, they are making hot meals too.

I had to wash about 40 bowls and 60 cups and dish out lots and lots of bowls of rice and chicken curry. I also poured about 6 litres of milk. Before that, I had to spray all the ballet barres with sanitiser and wipe them clean and also greet the kids when they arrived.

While I was dishing up for the children, I felt very grateful and actually a bit depressed. It isn’t fair that some people have to struggle so much – but I spent one afternoon at least helping.