The Sustainable Future Project

I am 17 years old in grade 11 at Realogile high school which is located in Alexandra township. I was raised in rural northern province where I stayed with my grandmother for five years, while my mother looked for work in Johannesburg. My father was not in the picture. My life there wasn't easy because there was a time where I had to be a mother to my young cousins, grandmother and my sick aunt. I always had to make a plan for what we ate since there was no food at home. It was very difficult to sleep with an empty stomach. My situation at home affected me in a way that I started being alone and separating myself from other children.  Hearing them talk about how good they had it at home was hard for me to hear because I was a mother at home and not a child.

During 2016 1 relocated to Alexandra where I currently stay with my aunt in a three room house with is filled with love. My aunt tries her best to ease the pain from my earlier life. My mother relocated to Limpopo and she is currently not working. My father would come and go after certain number of years. He never played his role in my life and still doesn’t. When I needed school stationery and a uniform he would insult me and tell me that he is not an ATM machine. His words have hurt me, him not being part of my life has left a void that cannot be filled.

Afrika Tikkun has turned into my second home. I first found out about Afrika Tikkun from my classmate Koketso. When I got there I felt like I belonged there, that I was part of something positive. Everyone welcomed me with love and surely Afrika Tikkun is my second home. The programs and activities made me realize that there is more in life than smoking and being angry. The center has molded me into a brave young girl who is well groomed and eager to learn more. Now I am an outspoken person, smart and talkative. I am a writer, I write my own poems and currently writing a novel.  Thanks to Afrika Tikkun and their help with my academics, last year I passed my grade 10 very well.

On behalf of 20,000+ students like Seipati, we thank you for your ongoing support and for helping us in empowering young people in South Africa. Because of your contribution, South African youth are able ot overcome the myriad of social challenges they face in their communities and are able to effectively break the cycle of poverty.