Mercy, a domestic worker, has a bright son with a very bright future thanks to a family that have taken his education into their own hands.
Johannesburg, South Africa – Stephanie Aproskie shared an inspiring story about how her father took a young man under his wing, offering to pay for his private education to give him a brighter future.
The young man is the son of Mercy, who cares for Stephanie’s children. Stephanie says that Mercy is the kindest, most loving person she has ever met. Having Mercy in their lives has meant they got to know her son, 13-year-old Christian. His father left them to fend for themselves, leaving Christain to deal with the pain of it all this year.
Stephanie’s father heard about how bright Christian is but how he was struggling at his school because the teachers didn’t show up.
“Despite these struggles, he has continued to strive towards excellence in his school work as best he can. He currently walks 30 minutes twice a day to his school every day as his mother cannot afford for him to take public transport. He tells me that his teachers often don’t come to work, that the students often share textbooks and that there are simply no resources at his school to engage the pupils the way they should.
My Dad heard of his situation and wanted to help him. Christian has been accepted and enrolled into Spark Maboneng private school and he will begin attending in January 2020 for his Grade 7 year. My Dad has paid his tuition fee, stationery fee, admin fee and uniforms. We have paid for his medical aid (this is required for enrolment into the school) as well as soccer (Christian’s passion).”
The family are aware that he will face a few challenges. Stephanie took to her Facebook to ask friends and family for help. The best way to help Christian settle into his school and have access to all the information he could need is to get him a laptop. This will help him efficiently get school work caught up on.
Stephanie gladly announced that they were able to get Christian a laptop thanks to a helpful donation from a friend. He is now ready and prepared for his new school next year.
“Mercy has told me stories about how, as a child, she would walk many kilometres to school, often without shoes and often with an empty tummy. No one in her family or Christian’s father’s family has ever had the opportunity to attend a school of this calibre. Needless to say, Christian is beyond excited.
I wish we could help all the children in South Africa to attend a school where their education is taken seriously and they are provided with the opportunities that many of us take for granted. But even if we can change one child’s life, change his mother’s life, change the life of his future children, then sign me up. This opportunity will dramatically alter the course of Christian’s life and it fills me with excitement to think of his future.”
Stephanie understands that not every family can cover a child’s education like they can. She wishes she could do more to help more children. We had a quick brainstorm and have come up with an idea that could make a difference in your domestic worker’s life.
If you have R100 to spare, buy some stationery items to gift to your domestic worker’s children. School supplies can be all the motivation needed to focus on school. If you can spare more, a new school bag or school shoes can be just as important as stationery!
What are some of the things you have done to boost the education of a child in your life?
by 