The Power of Education and Opportunity

One of the joys of being Raise the Children’s (RTC) board chair is having the opportunity to engage with our Scholars. Time and again, interacting with them leaves me feeling motivated and energized. I am always impressed and heartened by their commitment to learning and the characteristic resiliency that each of them possesses. So, when the chance to visit with some of them in person came up earlier this year, I jumped at it. In January, I went to South Africa to meet with our Scholars, as well as school partners, co-sponsors and mentors. Our CEO Paul Horn and his wonderful colleagues Keaitumela Gabonewe and Thando Thwala organised a packed week of meetings in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga and Johannesburg. Once I reached Cape Town, RTC co-founder Neil Holzapfel kept the momentum going with more school visits and partner meetings.

While in South Africa I saw firsthand how deeply the RTC team knows each of our 95 scholars: their backgrounds, their struggles and how best to help them. The scholars and our school partners place a great deal of value on that. When I asked a group of girls at Inanda Seminary School what they most appreciated about RTC, every one of them mentioned the unique ways that the RTC team has helped and supported them. Teachers and heads of school shared similar messages of appreciation for our commitment to knowing the unique circumstances of each of our scholars and tailoring our support to what works best for each individual. This thoughtful effort is what makes our work so impactful.

While in Mpumalanga, we took a day to visit the homes of five of our scholars from Grades 8 and 9 to meet with their guardians and family members. Around midday, we passed the primary school they had attended. The whole group pleaded with us to stop so that they could pay a quick visit to see their friends and former teachers. We checked with the school principal who was more than delighted to welcome the scholars back. One by one they entered her office, giving her big hugs as she beamed with pride. The scholars then went out into the playground where they were mobbed by hundreds of students, all eager to see their old schoolmates. The girls were like celebrities. I too was filled with a sense of pride as the girls stood before the entire school and shared stories about their new school, giving advice about working hard and the importance of education. It was a heartwarming experience which left a number of our Scholars and their former teachers in tears. Such is the power of education and opportunity.

At Raise the Children, we strive to enable our scholars to achieve their maximum potential, broadening their horizons and setting them up for a future with greater opportunities. While we don’t yet know what the scholars will go on to do once they have left our program, we can be sure that we have changed the course of their lives and set them on a path defined by greater self-determination.

We can’t do this alone. Your financial support is vital if we are to unlock the potential of rural South African orphans. Please join us and help open new doors of opportunity for our scholars by donating here.

Phil Giannecchini
Board Chair