The Angel Network is raising funds to make a dream come true! Despite her situation, Phila is dedicated to educating herself and working hard to become a neurosurgeon!
Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape – Phila Sande has inspired everyone who has heard her story. Born in the Eastern Cape, this incredibly passionate young South African has faced a hard life, she is the daughter of a seasonal citrus farmworker and the oldest of three girls who all live with her mother and grandmother.
The family have very little and struggle daily to put food on the table. Last year Phila’s mother developed an illness which led to her losing sight in one eye. This gives an extra strain to the family as her employment options are extremely limited and she is the only breadwinner of the entire family.
But despite all her struggles at home and in life, Phila has never given up on her dream of becoming a neurosurgeon.
Phila attends school in Hankey but it is quite dysfunctional, she shares a class with 60 children where learning is very hard. There is no sports programme, no after school activities and no library! This leads to most children dropping out, and the standard of education is so low a Matric Certificate doesn’t add up to much.
Opportunities are very slim for children in the community with most becoming farm workers or turning to crime, prostitution and drugs. This isn’t the path Phila wishes to follow.
She is a ferocious reader and self-educated herself to ensure her opportunities are more significant. Her hard work has paid off; she has been accepted to a top independent school for Grade 9 in 2020 – the Global Leadership Academy (GLA) in Jeffreys Bay, Eastern Cape.
It was thanks to her bravery that her dreams started to become a reality. While at a workshop with a local non-profit ‘Youth Potential South Africa – YOUPSA‘, she plucked up the courage and asked if someone could help her get a better education.
“[She] expressed her strong desire to receive a good education that would enable her to fulfil her wish of one day becoming a neurosurgeon and help her community with their unending health problems.”
Through YOUPSA, Phila became a youth librarian and was given the responsibility to manage a mobile library for her area. She thrived with the help of the organisation and proved that she would do anything to better her life.
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“Phila is very special, kind, respectful, responsible, considerate, is passionate about studying and learning, top of her class. In her new school, she will be one of 25 kids in the class, receiving quality education, the necessary care, attention and mentorship from dedicated teachers, able to grow into the person she dreams of becoming.”
The Angel Network is raising funds to pay for her to attend the Global Leadership Academy. They will manage the money on her behalf, making sure she has everything she will need. The hope is to raise the necessary funds for her full schooling career, but for now, they are focussed on her Grade 9 year.
“The cost for her to attend the Global Leadership Academy is R36 000 annually. This includes school fees, transportation, uniform, shoes, stationery etc. She would be very happy to provide regular updates about her progress and build a relationship with potential sponsors.
Please can you help this exceptional young girl receive the high-quality education that she deserves and fulfil her enormous potential?”
You can assist the Angel Network via their BackaBuddy fund here.
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