Youth Day is around the corner and to celebrate, the youth are sharing their inspiring stories of life struggles and successes. This is Cabangile’s story.
Cabangile found herself the head of her household at a very young age. In matric, she realised how difficult it was to support a family and be a good student. She struggled through it all and is now in university, studying to be a social worker.
Her dream is to help others through similar situations and to put her siblings through university. Growing up in a township, she was excited to live a place that was built up and suburban. Her childhood experiences didn’t prepare her for the challenges she would face at university.
Staying in a dorm, wifi was an alien concept to her and now celebrates its presence in her life. She also had her first ever shower, something that was very different from home. Used to using only a bucket and face cloth, she braved the shower not realising that a towel was needed. As she didn’t own a towel, she dashed through the common area back to her room, completely naked. This is a lesson she will never forget.
While that one thing was a shock, she felt blessed having access to running water and never had to worry about the electricity going off while she studied.
Cabangile Mdluli, now 21, originally shared her story in 2015. Her story centred on her struggle of being the primary carer to her three young siblings, surviving on R640 a month from children’s grants but still being a top student in her school. Cabangile is now in her 3rd year studying a BA in Social work at UCT and has become an active mentor for 1st and 2nd year students.
“Becoming a mentor has been a highlight for me. The best part is that I can be a role model to others, using my story and experiences to help and inspire others.”
She has so much passion for bettering South Africa and hopes that one day, we stop all the fighting.
“I hope one day we stop fighting so much, that’s the biggest thing.”
“I hope, in the end, that we find a solution and continue living peacefully”
The Youth Day storytelling campaign by Salesian Life Choices, a Cape Town-based NPO, was started 4 years ago to celebrate the struggles and triumphs of our youth. The hope is that these stories will inspire and motivate.
The premise of the campaign is that everyone has a story to tell, and each story holds unique value – not just to the storyteller but also to those with whom the story is shared. This June, youth will have the opportunity to share stories with each other on social media.
You can watch Cabangile’s full story below and see some of the other youth’s stories here.
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