PROVINCE: Eastern Cape

MUNICIPAL DISTRICT: OR Tambo District

 Activator since: 2015

What’s your passion? 

Kids, I love kids. I am passionate about children’s issues because I want to live in a society where all children receive equal love and opportunity.

 Coming from a family with a lot of children who were orphaned – mainly my cousins – it gave me empathy towards their lives and showed me how I can make a difference. 

 I am a victim of sexual abuse and this has left a very strong feeling in me to raise awareness about the issue of abuse.

What change are you keen to drive?

I want to see a society where a child is not only a child in your household but where a child is raised by a community. I also want to change teenage pregnancy rates and making boys feel like they matter.

How are you driving change?

 I’ve started an NPO, Sakh’isizwe, that I registered two months ago, our main focus areas are early childhood development, teenage pregnancy and making the boy child feel just as important as the girl child. We work mainly with kids from Grade 4 through to Grade 9.

 My mom is a nurse and I arrange talks between her and youth, she speaks to them about contraception and encourages them to speak to her about their issues because many times youth are too embarrassed or nervous to go to clinics. 

How has ACTIVATE! supported you so far in driving this change?

The support I received from the network, they always assist with the logistics of running my NPO.

 The ACTIVATE! network where I reside is small so we work closely as a team and that is really beneficial.

 I apply the Wash line methodology, whenever I do anything.

 It has helped me with life in general, I live between KZN and the Eastern Cape and I now have networks in both places. Overall Activate! makes me feel very supported.

 How do you motivate yourself?

 I always tell myself money should not be an issue. We often don’t do things because we feel we don’t have the resources but I motivate myself and look within my network to see if I can get assistance.

 Being a mother to a boy also motivates me because my eyes were opened to the way he was teased about living in a home with mostly woman and inspired me to start talking to youth about stereotypes so that we can all better understand each other.

Final comment?

 I’m looking forward to be part of the network and I’m hoping to see a growth within Umtata.