Mentor the Vulnerable Girl Child to Impact 1000s

What a wonderful term we have had with our Girl Child Mentorship mentees. We feel that over the term we have come to know them a lot better and tackled topics that brought about lots of open discussions not forgetting much fun and laughter. It has been a pleasure to watch our 8 new mentors blossom in every way. They continue to form amazing bonds with their mentees and develop in their own growth, they have given us amazing feedback and we are so pleased to have them on board.

Attendance from mentees has been very good, with only a few finding challenges here and there. Sadly, we've had two girls who have dropped out due to other commitments. Our aim is always to complete the year with every single mentee that we start with but we are very aware of the challenges they face such as heavy house chores, baby-sitting, religious meetings and sometimes a lack of support from guardians.

The topics taught and discussed this term have focused on working with the mentees to get more of an understanding of their self-worth. In addition, mentees had open discussions regarding what part they play in society, their family units and even in their own lives. The feedback from the girls has shown us that through these sessions, they have grown in confidence and have seen the importance of working as part of a team. We are so proud of the journey these girls have allowed themselves to go on this term!

Our term ended on a high note with a lovely lunch prepared by staff. Once again, mentees from the three different schools got to meet up again after three months and enjoyed each other’s company. Mrs Albertyn delivered a comforting yet thought provoking session around the topic of ‘Facing hard things’. We also had an Oral Hygiene session in which the girls learnt the basics of looking after their teeth and honest discussions were had regarding how finances can affect this. Apart from that there were lots of games, delicious food and a lot of fun. We are so grateful to have been able to send each mentee away with a toothbrush and toothpaste, thanks to your donations!

We said an emotional goodbye to four of our mentors who are off to university outside of the country on scholarships. While we celebrated their achievements, we are really sad that they won’t be part of the team anymore. We are thankful for all they poured into the programme and we wish them all the best for now and the future!

Thank you to all our host schools, heads and senior teachers for supporting us through this programme. Thank you to all our mentors for making it happen every single week! Thank you to all our sponsors and donors. We simply could not have done this term without you! We are looking forward to our third and final term which will begin in September.