Not Another Statistic

My name is Nolo*. I’m 14 years old, and joined Raise the Children in Grade 8 at Collegiate Girls’ High School in Gqeberha. I was born and raised in a very small town called Ilinge that’s an hour away from Queenstown in the Eastern Cape.

Ilinge is a place where poverty has become normal for everyone, where English is a difficult language because people lack quality education, and where people struggle to find jobs. My community is a place where people have lost hope in themselves—not to mention in God—because of suffering for decades and still having to face challenges like not receiving fresh water or having access to basic government services. People have to survive on social grants. Some parents have to watch their children get destroyed by addiction. Others see their children drop out of school or have a baby at a very young age. 

When I was growing up, I was told that I was not the first girl to be intelligent in my community. ”You all end up in the same place, having two kids at 17 years old”. These words hurt me as a young person who had big dreams. I struggled to believe in myself because of the negative energy around me, and seeing people I looked up to changing for the worse. I was determined to prove everyone wrong, to bring change to our community and represent them in spaces and places far from home.

In primary school I worked very hard each day, keeping my head high and reminding myself that success in school would help me change my life. I was involved in public speaking, debate, poetry, and modeling. I was the top student in my school. 

In Grade 7 one of my teachers told me about Raise the Children. Because I had lost my father I might have the chance to get a bursary to go to a top South African boarding school. We applied, I went through interviews, I visited the partner school for a tour and wrote a few assessments. By God’s grace, I made it, and I was ready to start a new journey at Collegiate Girls’ High School in 2024. 

When I got to Collegiate, things didn’t go as expected. In my first month, I battled anxiety. It was my first time being away from home, away from my mother, and I often felt small because I was around children that came from different backgrounds than mine. I felt like they saw through me and so I kept to myself. I doubted myself in everything. I lost my confidence to a point where it was hard to raise my hand in class because I felt like my English was not good enough. I was not used to technology because no technology was used in my primary school. I was ready to go home, defeated.

In those dark moments, I had to remind myself of where I come from and where I want to go. Fortunately, Raise the Children does not just promote the love of learning but also makes sure that students are mentally healthy,  feel comfortable and feel welcome. I attended my first ever therapy session this year through Raise the Children.

I never knew I needed this much support until I received it. 

It’s only been a year, but I’ve grown to understand that life is not about what you have but it’s about embracing who you really are and being a reflection of the beautiful gift you were born carrying inside. It’s about being as strong and resilient as you can be in every situation because you will come across many obstacles that were made to test your patience and self-belief. 

I have big dreams. I would like to become either a lawyer or journalist. One day I would like to be involved in politics, something I have inherited from my grandfather. Not the corrupt politics of the Eastern Cape you usually hear about, but politics that fights for everyone’s human dignity and gives a voice to the voiceless. I believe every person deserves equal access to education, healthcare and opportunity. No one should have to grow up without these basic services the way I did. I’m looking forward to being a part of people’s lives and making a big impact by having my own organization where I would help people like me the same way Raise the Children has helped empower children from rural communities.

Thank you for granting me this wonderful opportunity. You have changed my life for the better.

Nolo*
Grade 9 Scholar