Education for Children in Rural South Africa

The past few months, through our Thanda Superheroes discussions, we’ve been questioning the idea of what truly makes heroes. Is it because they are brave? Do they have super-natural powers? Are they inherently good or are good and bad closer than we think? These are some of the questions we ask participants in our After-school Programme when we do activities aimed at seeing themselves as heroes, rather than victims. It is with this idea in mind that we begin to see ourselves as capable change-makers and possible heroes in our own communities. Then, we help others to do the same.

We asked some of the participants, facilitators, and other staff at Thanda to share their own hero story; who their hero is and a time when they were a hero to someone else. After-school facilitator Janet’s hero is Angela Larkan, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Thanda. They have been together since the beginning (10 years ago!) and much has changed since. 

Who is your hero?

My hero is Angela Larkan.  I was in grade 11 when Thanda first came to my school, which was the beginning of the organisation, 2010.  It was a big surprise and I was glad to be a part of it. Especially because in my home I grew up with my granny and I didn’t receive a lot of information or have opportunities to improve myself and explore my talents. All I had done my entire life was school and academics.

The programme assisted me to pass my metric. Those years, most kids were failing, but I passed my physical science and maths and my class still holds the highest number of kids passing in one year. Afterward, I was not able to go to University because my Granny could not afford it. There are very few opportunities to work or gain skills, so I stayed at home a lot. Then Thanda offered me the opportunity to volunteer if I wanted to and I took it right away. Then, in 2011 I got my first full-time job as a Thanda Facilitator. At that point I became the breadwinner for my family. From 2011 until today I am the breadwinner. While I was working at Thanda, I did a certificate in Financial Management so I could gain skills on how to keep track of my finances and not spend money on useless things. Now, I am about to start a teaching degree with UNISA.

In 2014, I asked Angela and Tyler if they would allow me to explore America for a summer camp programme as a Camp Leader. They agreed without hesitation and I went to Pennsylvania. There, I was able to be a leader to a different group of children each week throughout the summer. I found this opportunity online and I was very glad to still have my job at Thanda when I came back. If they said no, I would not have gone because I would not want to lose this job after the summer since it’s how I support my family.  They were very kind and assisted me with the paperwork and followed up with how I was doing. The programme was really nice because I was able to learn about different cultures and places and work with different children. I gained a lot of experiences that help me here regarding taking care of and teaching children.

What qualities do you believe a hero has?

My hero, Angela Larkan, has a lot of love and patience. I know it is not always easy to work in this area. When I first started working here I wasn’t very good at my job, but they helped me and taught me the different ways that I can improve myself in my work and learn new skills.

So, a hero loves people and is patient. They just want to help at the end of the day. Whatever they do, they make sure it is successful, no matter what happens…such as helping me make my dreams come true.

Tell us about a time when you have been a hero to someone else?

I am hero to the children that I work with. I am a Primary School Facilitator and I teach grades R and 1. I love teaching the little ones because in my community people do not always respect their opinions. Someone who is young is not taken very seriously, and it is an elder whose opinion that counts. I believe this discourages young children to make decisions and share their opinion. Also, their self-esteem is lower at an important age for development. So I feel like spending time with children gives me a chance to give them the attention that they need and a chance to hear about what they think about the things that are happening in their lives, what they appreciate, what their expectations are, etc. They share issues and challenges that they face with their families that they cannot always share with their parents. They can open up to me and in our community that is a huge need. This has given me a skill to love people and be open both in my classes and with anyone I meet.

I am also a hero in that I provide for my family and make sure we have a home. I take care of my grandma and my two siblings, a brother and a sister.

So you are a lot like Angela?

(laughter) Yes. I suppose so. I am glad I am like that now and have grown through this job. That is why I want to become a teacher, so I can help others even more.

Thank you for your ongoing support that makes stories like this possible. 

P.S.

We have some exciting news- We placed second in the category of Sustainable Cities & Communities for the Beyond Sport Awards. The award is for having our skatepark as such an important resource in the community. We competed amongst hundreds of organisations globally and are so proud of our programmes and support teams! 

We’re also in the top 10 out of 29 projects in the running for the Spindle’s Best Innovation for Development Award. Winning this award will enable us to share our Creative Learning Curriculum with non-profits and after-school programmes around South Africa. Public voting is open until September 30th, so please share the link with your friends and family! Vote here: https://thespindle.org/project/the-lifelong-learning-library-3l/

Links:

• Thanda Superheroes
• Vote for Us!