By Mehdeen Sehgal | Marketing and Development Associate
Meet Tinyiko, a 20-year-old girl, who was born and raised in the Alexandra township of South Africa. Like many girls in townships, Tinyiko was exposed to poverty and other socio-economic issues that created hurdles for her to progress.
In Grade 11 Tinyiko found herself homeless as her family abandoned her on learning about her pregnancy. Tinyiko moved in with her boyfriend and decided to not give up on her education, even after she gave birth to a beautiful girl. Afrika Tikkun’s Child and Youth Development Program made it possible for Tinyiko to continue her education. Tinyiko also had access to Afrika Tikkun’s family support services which enabled her to make tremendous progress.
Here is what Tinyiko has to say about Afrika Tikkun:
"I cannot thank Afrika Tikkun enough for the chance in life they have given me at no cost. They never judged me, they took me as I was, they gave me hope for the future. Today I am a learner in an American University- all thanks to Afrika Tikkun. The support I am getting at Afrika Tikkun has also encouraged my parents to support me and make them realize that I can still have a bright future".
Tinyiko is now a management student at the Maharishi University in Iowa and Afrika Tikkun is proud of her achievements.
In South Africa there are many entrenched societal challenges stemming from the inequities of apartheid. In the five low-income/underdeveloped township communities we serve, women are often: (1) poorly educated (2) school dropouts (3) Lack access to decent work (4) Victims of high rate of teenage pregnancy (5) Vulnerable to HIV/AIDS (6) Victims of gender based violence and/or rape at higher rate.
Afrika Tikkun, with the help of supporters like you, addresses these challenges by:
We thank you for your contribution and for believing in the work of Afrika Tikkun. With your continued support, we will be able to empower more young girls like Tinyiko with quality education and enable them to secure a sustainable living for themselves and their families.
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