It is currently Youth Month and to celebrate, the youth are sharing their inspiring stories of life struggles and successes. This is Sinethemba’s story.
Sinethemba was born to a young mother and father, who were 16 and 17 at the time. His father rejected the pregnancy and Sinethemba was then raised by his maternal grandparents. His mother lived in the same shack but she was only known to him as a sister. In total, 8 people lived within their informal walls but Sinethemba worked hard to make sure he rose above his poverty.
When he was 11, he moved to his fathers home where he was abused when his grandmother wasn’t around. To avoid his father, he spent longer hours at school and thrived in the enriched environment.
He worked hard in school and was accepted into university. With help from his gran, he paid his registration.
“Suddenly I was completely independent and free to do whatever I wanted, this was quite overwhelming”
Sinethemba knew he needed to stay grounded and signed up for the campus mentorship programme. He thrived and became a mentor himself. When home from university, he would tutor the kids in his community to ensure they could be uplifted too.
He graduated earlier this year in BA Linguistics and Psychology at UWC walking away with 19 overall distinctions and four awards from the Vice Chancellors Student Development Services, he has also learned that he will receive a prestigious Dean’s Merit Award.
Sinethemba has now registered for a Post Graduate qualification in Education and is an assistant lecturer for first year students. His advice for kids facing the same hardships he did,
‘Be positive. My positive thinking has always pulled me forward. Believe in yourself and hold tight to your dearest dream.’
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 Sinethema’s full story below and see some of the other youth’s stories here.
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