Education South Africa Project #51399

Make College Possible for African Students

by Infinite Family

Project Report | Dec 13, 2023
South African Students Stride Ahead and Inspire the Next Class to Do So Too

By Amy Stokes | Founder, President and CEO

Students Preparing for College

Happy Holidays from Alexandra, Khayelitsha and Soweto, South Africa! This year, Infinite Family had our largest graduating class ever – 17 high school seniors/matric students completed their exams and are now awaiting their results. The success of these 17 students highlights that having role models can inspire teens to work harder than they think they can and take responsibility for their school success. YOU gave them the role models that kept them on track when YOU sponsored our pilot program to keep our alums in college and university even when their scholarships were delayed or deferred – THANK YOU!

Because you supported their peers last year, these Net Buddies know that our Infinite Family will help them keep moving forward to obtain the degrees and diplomas that lead to good jobs even if NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme) delays their scholarships. This is Infinite Family’s last report on this project because your generosity has convinced us that this pilot project should be fully embraced within our primary programs.

And the need is growing. Here is a voicemail we received yesterday (yes, yesterday!) from one of our alums, Happy, trying to connect with our Program Director. When they finally spoke, she inquired if Infinite Family could help her start a law degree next year – after she finishes her college program in Business Management. There is no lack of ambition by this Net Blazer (the name we call alums because they are all Blazing their own paths) or any of our others.

If you are not already receiving our monthly newsletter, I welcome you to sign up here to receive our graduates’ exam results in late January. And I hope you will continue to support our Net Buddies when they start their studies again next year via our next GlobalGiving project.

Thank you again for ALL of your support for our Net Buddies during this pilot project. Because of your support, Wanga is on his way to becoming a teacher, Zinzo is studying finance, and Ntando just finished his first year preparing to be a Civil Engineer – and 17 additional new South African students will continue on to college and university next year!

Deeply grateful that you are an important part of our Infinite Family,

Amy

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Aug 16, 2023
Forewarned is Forearmed!

By Amy Stokes | Founder, President and CEO

Katlego Graduates from University

There’s nothing – and I mean nothing - more uplifting and vindicating than hearing from our Net Buddy alums as they stride ahead with their lives after school. Katlego (2014-18) took the time to send a beautiful message to let us know how valuable her weekly Video Conferences (VCs) were in preparing her for university life. She studied for a Bachelor of Social Science at North Western University and says that, while she knew what to expect – thanks to her Video Mentors - she watched her peers grapple with social anxiety, peer pressure, fear of failure, and lack of career direction. Forewarned is forearmed!

I just wanted to let you know how the program has been useful in my life. I got a match with my second mentor, Elinor, in 2016 and she’s been an amazing, supporting structure in my life ever since! Even to this day we are still in contact. She's so helpful, supportive, and caring. She's so amazing, I don't wanna lie!

If it wasn't for you guys I wouldn't have met this wonderful soul. Thanks once again, I am so blessed to have had the opportunity.

Katlego is now completing a post-graduate Honours Degree in Demography & Population Studies at the prestigious University of Witwatersrand. You can hear even more of her story at the link here or below to the recording from our recent Infinite FAMILY MEETING.

If you missed the opportunity to join one of our update sessions, why not grab yourself a coffee, find a comfy chair, and catch up on what’s been happening at Infinite Family and what we’ve got in store. You’ll get to meet some of our key people and find out what we’ll be doing – with your help – to impact the lives of more teens, so no one gets left behind.

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May 25, 2023
A Message from a Mentor in India

By Amy Stokes | Founder, President and CEO

Net Buddy Enjoying Her Video Mentor

For South African teens, there’s nothing new about needing to dig deep to stay motivated and focused at school, which is why Infinite Family has always emphasized helping them build resilience. Yet, in the 17 years since our program began, they’ve never needed to dig deeper … and we’ve never been more proud of them!

In their video conversations (VCs), our Net Buddies have likely added the word ‘loadshedding’ to their Video Mentors’ vocabulary. This is the term used to describe the rolling power cuts - up to 12 hours a day - that have become a part of their daily life. Their ability to cope with all the extra challenges it poses is impressive. We can honestly say that it’s been an inspiring lesson for us to watch our teens (who are already overloaded with the kind of toxic stress that would sink most adults) find the mental strength to push through. Among the reasons for it?

The Video Mentors you make sure are there every week to motivate them!

It has always been our guiding belief that having a stable, committed relationship with a supportive adult is key to helping children to overcome adversity and learn to manage stress. And it is why Video Mentors are central to the Infinite Family program, as this beautiful message from Jagi in India illustrates:

"I am very excited to share with you the journey of Nthabi. More than a year ago she came as a Net Buddy to me. She was very depressed, lives in a shelter and seems to have no family. I worked with her for quite a while, giving her hope and guiding her to be positive.

Yesterday she turned a corner and is doing well at school in her 12^th Grade. She is getting good grades and will start training in September to be an air hostess. She is a very smart girl and I am willing to help her achieve this if she needs any financial assistance. I felt so happy yesterday. She was full of life and cheerful."

YOU allow young people to share their life experiences in a safe space and engage in weekly conversations, like Ntabi’s with Jagi, which influences them to move beyond their natural feelings of helplessness and work through solutions for themselves. Your gift of the relationships between Video Mentors’ and their Net Buddies has always been a gift, but in these dark and difficult times, it’s more appreciated than ever!

Note: Photos and quotes are all real Infinite Family Net Buddies. For their safety, we change the names and images to protect the identities of minor-aged teens.

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