Sithabile Mazibuko is among 10 volunteers chosen from more than 500 hopefuls to participate in the Vodacom Change the World initiative launched last year in association with Avusa Media.

Mazibuko will be moving about 700km away from her home in Umkomaas, KwaZulu-Natal, leaving her husband and children for six months to take up the position of a remedial teacher at the East London Child and Youth Care Centre.

The centre was chosen as a deserving non-governmental organisation that provides care and support for children who have been removed from their homes because of abuse, and to provide a holistic approach to the development and rehabilitation of the child and family.

Mazibuko, a 46-year-old mother of three, said yesterday that she will be responsible for developing individualised remedial learning programmes for children at the centre.

"I have always loved children and I would not only like to help them with their school work, but also to deal with underlying issues that need to be resolved. So this is my first opportunity to make a difference in their lives," she said.

Mazibuko said she was looking forward to taking up the challenge.

Mazibuko is a former teacher who has also worked with the Office of Rights of the Children. She has also facilitated courses on the Children's Act and conducted workshops on children's rights.

She will start her new job at the centre on April 4.

To learn more about the Change The Worl initiative, go to http://www.vodacom.com/ctw_overview.php