Mentor the Vulnerable Girl Child to Impact 1000s

Coming to the end of the year meant a very sad goodbye to our 2021 mentees with whom we had shared an unpredictable yet lovely year.

Since you heard from us last, we were able to start face to face sessions again in September 2021. Our mentors were raring to go after the break necessitated by Covid-19 restrictions. As always, they led sessions with great passion and it was easy for them to pick up where they left off with the mentees. This was a great testament to how mentees and mentors grow to love and value each other in such a short space of time.

We did not delay to get back to sessions when the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted. All the schools our girls attend had to come up with plans to social distance as classes are usually full to beyond capacity. Some schools separated students into morning classes and afternoon classes. Others had students attend two or three days a week in turns. As such, it was not easy to get word around that we were back to sessions. We had around fifty percent attendance on the first session back, which increased as the weeks went by. We celebrated a hundred percent attendance some weeks! It is humbling to walk away from a session with the knowledge that every vulnerable girl that was selected to be assisted by this programme has been reached, even for just a day.

Mentoring of mentors continued online throughout the term. Staff shared words of encouragement and hope to mentors throughout the term and this had a trickledown effect for which we are so grateful. Staff also popped in on sessions, we find that this has a great effect on both mentors and mentees.

We ended the year with our termly lunch. We were so pleased to see all the girls there. Staff made a lovely hot meal with lots of salads and there was ice-cream for dessert. For most girls just having a well –balanced hot meal would have been a rare treat. We felt so grateful to be able to sit together in a big circle and share a meal. We never take being able to meet for granted anymore. Skyla and Rocket, our two dogs were also happy to be mixing with everyone!

Our end of year lunch is more than the food. It’s a time to appreciate each other, to reflect on the year as well as get feedback from the mentees. We value this feedback beyond what we can express. It helps us to shape the programme and tailor it to the mentees. With that said, I will end with some of the feedback that was shared at the end of last year. We are so grateful for all that our 2021 mentees achieved! We wish them all well for the future.

‘I have become more grateful for what I am’ – Mentee, Mufakose 3

‘I discovered I have a talent which can help my family’ – Mentee, Mufakose 2

‘Gradually, I am becoming a positive minded person, considerate and I am believing in myself more’ – Mentee, Mabvuku