Felix, a street child studying at MindLeaps, is one of our top dance students. He is known for his bright smile and vivid storytelling, which can get a whole room laughing in minutes. Felix has lived on the streets for many years, but after attending MindLeaps programs for four years, he has completely transformed. With scholarship support, he seeks to attend vocational training school (in an option ranging from construction to ICT) so that he can get an educational certificate and leap ahead.
Coming from a family of nine children, Felix has often resorted to living on the streets when there was not food at home or when things got rocky with his step-father. He completed a few years of primary school, but had to drop out at age nine because his mother could not afford his school fees. Since dropping out, he has significantly contributed to his family's income by working odd jobs on the street like collecting coal and selling it.
After attending MindLeaps' program for four years, Felix, now 17, has changed immensely. He stopped doing drugs and is an extremely hard-working student. Having excelled in the first two phases of MindLeaps' model (dance, IT & English training), Felix is now ready to attend vocational training school for one year, where he will have a place to sleep, eat, and learn - a permanent exit to life on the streets. He will also gain a critically important certificate of formal education.
By supporting Felix, you are significantly changing one boy's life by giving him the chance to gain a formal education, enter the labor market, and fully reintegrate into society. However, the impact goes much further beyond his life. Felix, has long been helping to provide for his family by seeking odd jobs on the street. Now, he will have a chance to study employable skills and eventually earn a sustainable income which has the potential to lift his whole family out of poverty.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
