As our first birthday draws near
we would like to share our journey thus far with our supporters and friends. We
started out as a group of very committed and passionate assistants who wanted
to make a difference, no matter how small. We felt that there was so much
complaining and negativity about the state of the world, the economy, poverty
and unemployment (5 million young people unemployed in South Africa alone), but
no concrete action beyond that. South Africa was also plagued with violent
student protests about the cost and access to education.
It is natural to think “but I am only one person, how can I
change anything?” We feel like we cannot influence the world in a meaningful
way as an individual or even a small group. We however, decided to change our
paradigm on what and where we focus our energy.
The questions we had to ask ourselves included, what can we do?
Where do we start? What do we care about? What do we want our legacy to be? And
that friends, is how the journey began!
So a team of beautiful souls set off to make a difference. We
were naïve at times, not everything went according to our plans, we faced
challenges, red tape and disappointments but if you ask any of us if it is
worth it, then you will get a resounding YES!
Two of our students from the 2016 intake have done incredibly
well and their success has motivated us to keep focussed on changing one life
at a time.
Iris Mothwa has made us very proud. She started off as a quiet,
slightly withdrawn young lady. We had concerns about her, wondering if she
would be able to interact with people as assistants do daily, however we found
her situation so compelling that we could not turn her away. You see, Iris is
the head of a child household, she is the provider for her 4 siblings and we
knew that if we gave her this opportunity it would change her life and
employment prospects forever.
Iris has not disappointed, in fact Iris has blossomed. She has
worked exceptionally hard and achieved amazing academic results. She has grown
in confidence and has said to us that she wants to inspire her siblings to make
something of their lives. She has stolen our hearts and she has become a
daughter to all of us.
We are currently giving her more work exposure in the hope that
she will be successfully placed very soon. We do not doubt she would be a
wonderful, responsible and mature (way beyond her years) addition to any
company and hopefully we will be able to share that good news in the very near
future!
Our second incredible student is Lerato Sikhosana, a petite but
feisty young lady. We will never forget the first day we met her. Those big
glasses and even bigger smile. When we met she was doing people’s hair on the
weekends to make ends meet and volunteering during the week at Orange Farm
which is a township near Johannesburg. During the interview, we asked many
questions and saw her face light up several times, but the excitement in her
eyes when she talked about her ladies soccer team (of which she is the captain)
was absolutely electric.
Well, they always say that sports help you develop discipline
and in this case it rang true. Lerato kept her eyes on the goal (pun intended)
and has blown us away. She not only completed her studies successfully but
during her work experience week she made such an impression that she is now a
full time employee with this company. Like proud mamas (Moms) we must brag a
little…she only OFFICIALLY graduates in May 2017, she will need to take leave
to attend her graduation ceremony.
Having an income means that Lerato has now moved into her own
place. She proudly shared pictures of her new abode and we all agreed that a
house warming party was in order. It is amazing how a life can change in a few
months. This little bird has taken flight and we are so privileged that we
could play our part.
Was it all smooth sailing? Nope! We had two students who did not
successfully complete the year. The circumstances are irrelevant here but the
situation was utterly devastating to the team. It made us question if we did
enough, if we are skilled and experienced enough to handle a passion project
that is this complex, with individuals facing such tremendous odds. Many tears
were shed, lots of hard discussions had, but we grew, it made us stronger and
most importantly we learnt some hard but important lessons.
So, year two! Well we had to sort through 328 submissions but
sadly only found two candidates that qualified in line with our criteria, but
as a team, at the outset, we made a conscious decision to focus on quality over
quantity as we view this project as a long-term commitment. Our newest recruits
had their orientation day on the 7 February 2017 and will start their exciting
academic year on the 13thof Feb. We look forward to seeing Rosina Molamodi and Ambrotia
Molelewa achieve and grow this year and beyond.
We have been so overwhelmed by the generosity of the PA
community globally, the trainers and the companies as well as individuals that
came on board during 2016 and continue their support in 2017. We are blessed
beyond measure that we are surrounded by those that have become fondly known as
Isipho Angels! Many times, in 2016 we felt that the mere words “Thank you” were
just not enough. When we were in need, someone always came forward to support
us and for that we are so grateful. The overwhelming feeling we are left with,
is that people are actually good, they really do care and if you ask for help,
people will support you. What an amazing take-away for us.
If you would like more information about our project please
visit www.isiphoadmin.org.za or contact Teri Wells via email at [email protected] or Anel Martin [email protected]
If you feel that you would like to contribute financially to
this cause you can visit our funding page at https://gogetfunding.com/isipho-admin-bursary/ every little bit makes a difference
and together we can achieve something incredible.
– Isipho Admin Directors
