Danilo’s happiest place is in his classroom where he teaches grade two learners.
He’s a breath of fresh air on social media. His posts are always positive, he knows how to put a good outfit together and shares parts of his life that inspire others.
He has taken his over 250 000 Twitter followers and about 56 000 Instagram followers along on his journey to success and is now working with one of the largest banks in Africa to enlarge his footprint.
For Danilo Mngwengwe, it is all because he followed his passion for teaching that his dreams are coming true and he’s ticking off a lot of firsts in his family and community.
Speaking to Drum about how he realised his passion, he says he discovered it in high school.
“In high school I joined ‘Interact’ and ‘People to People International’ which were school organisations that worked with orphanages in the community, we did a lot of peer tutoring, self-building workshops and community service. Working with those children from the orphanages, my peers from school and becoming a prefect in grade 12 made me develop my love for teaching and I realised then it was my calling. It was the only career I wanted to pursue.”
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Without an ounce of doubt in him, he studied teaching at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and became the first to graduate in his family.
Of all his firsts and achievements, this has been his greatest because “It was really difficult for my family to send me to multiracial primary and high school in the suburbs while we live in the rural areas of KZN. I witnessed many times when big sacrifices had to be made and they had to go out and borrow money just so I could have a good education. University was not easy too, but my family really fought for me until I landed a bursary.”
His graduation was, however, a bittersweet moment as he wished his grandparents were there to witness the fruits of their sacrifices.
“Unfortunately, my grandparents didn’t get to see the end of this journey that they played such a huge part in as they passed away right before graduation. It’s my greatest achievement because all the love, support and sacrifices they made for me were not for nothing.”
Having been raised in rural KZN in a place called KwaNgcolosi Reserve by his parents and grandparents alongside his cousins, Danilo says he made sure that his grandparents sacrifices do not only benefit him but the rest of his family and community.
“The community I grew up in had a lot of poor families and most of them were child headed. Seeing first-hand the gruesome impact of poverty made me fear it and for the longest time I was only motivated to do well in school so I can have a job and be able to take care of my family,” he tells Drum.
Because of the poverty he grew up witnessing, he did not just stop at being a teacher, he went on to start The Danilo Foundation focused on child needs.
Elaborating on it, he says, “I have always wanted to have a foundation for underprivileged children and use my platform on social media to do good. So, I stated the foundation and it’s doing really well and I have started collaborating with brands and companies who have a positive mission in society and one of them is Standard Bank.”
The 25-year-old foundation phase teacher adds that waking up every morning to do what he loves the most has made him the best version of himself.
“You can’t teach young children [when you are] angry, have bad habits or dress and act in a way that is not acceptable. It’s a job that brings the best side of you because you are always smiling, calm, caring, and you act and speak appropriately all the time and before you know it you are this whole different person and it’s because of that pure environment you are in every day.”
To him it’s not just a job, it’s a fulfilling purpose.
“Seeing a child going from not being able to hold a pen correctly or speak confidently to them writing paragraphs and doing poems is a really special achievement that makes this profession really worth it,” he says.
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“Kubalulekile ukungaphakami empilweni uhloniphe wonke umuntu ngoba emhlabeni siyodingana (it’s very important to not look down on people in life and respect everyone because in this we will all need each other)”, is the saying that keeps him going for everything he puts his mind on.
He was raised by this saying and now that he’s older and wiser, he lives by it because he has seen it in action.
“So many big and special things in my life were made possible by people I never thought I would need or have an impact in my life. From the stranger who helped me apply for my bursary in university, to strangers who mention my name in rooms for campaigns. I’ve learned that humility is very important because you never know, the person you look down on might change your whole life for the better,” the humble teacher says.
Now being one of the faces of Standard Bank’s Achieva campaign, he experienced Johannesburg for the first time and got to do his first media interview.
To his younger followers on social media, he says working hard is the key to unlocking even one’s wildest dreams.