FunDza followers so enjoy the content from our mobi site but there remained a need for something Mzansi authentic, unique and inspiring. In a world that’s bombarded with negative news in the mainstream media, we felt there was a space for positive articles that would bridge our readers to the world of hope.
That’s how ‘Inspiring Tomorrow’ came into being in 2015. Inspiring Tomorrow is a series of profiles on inspiring and interesting people that are doing amazing stuff in their respective lives. The idea behind the series was to introduce our readers to a diverse group of people who crawled until they learned how to walk.
You know how they say charity begins at home, right? Well, our very first inspiring individual was our own Fanz Editor Zimkhitha Mlanzeli. Zimkhitha fell in love with FunDza and started submitting her work to be published. She later joined FunDza and became part of the editing team. So, it was fitting to introduce the inspiring series through her.
“As long as your heart still beats and that desire still burns, there’s still hope for that dream you keep putting off. It’s never too late. I mean look at me, I’m 30 and I just got started,” Zimkhitha said at the time.
This extract is just a glimpse of what Inspiring Tomorrow is about. Three years later, the series is reaching even greater heights. The year 2017, in particular, really stood out for me. Inspiring Tomorrow got a bit of colour added to it. Two female interns, Kauthar Gool and Tamica Mopp, joined in and captured raw feelings and converted them into inspiration. It was the first time Inspiring Tomorrow had a female voice, and it spoke volumes. We were able to see stories from another perspective. Let me not put words in their mouth, here are their takes on what Inspiring Tomorrow is all about:
Kauthar Gool
I’ve really enjoyed working on Inspiring Tomorrow and interviewing so many interesting people. I had the great honour of featuring doctors, poets and amazing women breaking ground in the tech industry to name a few. One of my favourite pieces was about Einstein Sibanda, an organic poultry farmer in Simon’s Town. It’s really rewarding to tell these amazing stories about people who are doing good and uplifting their communities.
Tamica Mopp
It was a pleasure and an honour to be able to interview so many different people with different stories to tell. I was personally inspired by the stories, there are so many that stood out to me. It taught me endurance and to see life through the eyes of another. The struggles people went through, and how they overcame them shows me that each one has a story and a battle of their own that others know nothing about, it taught me to be kind to each human being and it emphasised the value of a person and the power they have within them, through the story they live to tell. What a great few months it has been working with the Inspiring Tomorrow team, looking forward to so many more stories.