Guardian African Angels give and take support.
Two of our Guardian Angels did not achieve the matric results they needed to get into the tertiary education courses they chose. But they are not giving up!
African Angels is working with them to help. Both are now employed at the school, through the Youth Employment Scheme YES, and are working and studying hard to reach their goals.
Okuhle is re-writing 2 subjects in June this year, and while he studies, is working with the hostel master in the boys’ hostel. This is excellent experience for him as his goal is to become an intermediate phase teacher and sports coach. He is kept busy after his studies with helping the Grade 4-7 boys with homework, supervising mealtimes and training rugby skills.
He says,” I really appreciate the support I am getting from African Angels. I have access to a peaceful environment to study in, I get free food and accommodation, earn a salary and have free access to the internet which allows me to download past papers and to watch you-tube videos on subjects to increase my understanding. I am also grateful to Miss Phelisa who sacrificed her own teaching time to take me to register for my re-writes.”
Okuhle also works as a Senior in the Unstressed Surf School on Saturday mornings and is an amateur tennis player every Friday afternoon.
The YES 12-month quality work experience aims to give youth a dignified first chance by equipping unemployed youth with a toolkit to be a beacon of hope for their families, households and communities. The CV & reference letter they get at the end of their 12-months gives them a 3 x greater chance of an interview call-back.
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Lutho is also re-writing 2 subjects in June, and like Okuhle, is interested in working with children, but as a child psychologist.
Lutho says, “I had a terrible matric year, so many things didn’t go my way both in my personal life and at school. The end result was that I didn’t get the best results that I could in my matric exams. African Angels had taught me not to give up, so I reached out to Aunty Lou and she offered to help me.
She is also benefitting from accommodation, food, Wi-Fi and a conducive learning environment while she studies towards her exams. She earns a salary for helping out with homework and supervision in the Girls’ Hostel and for supporting the After-care programme which sees each grade 2-4 learner involved in fun activities every afternoon after school, to enhance their English language and vocabulary skills.
We are proud of Okuhle and Lutho for showing up; of their resilience and persistence in never giving up on their dreams, but we are most proud of the fine young citizens they have become.
