Please allow to take a minute to introduce you to a friend of mine. Her name is Shantelle April. Her friends call her Nelly. I met Nelly at LifeXchange. She started coming to our Wednesday night Bible studies which are open events for anyone 15+. After her third time to the Bible study, she showed up at the office on a Thursday to volunteer. The youth get credits for volunteering that they can use for computer time, buy clothes, use towards camps etc. In order to get her into our computer system I sat down with her and just asked some simple questions. Over the course of our conversation, I discovered that she is no longer in school because no one helped to get her registered for this year. She has passed her grade 9 and was due to start grade 10 in January. Here in South Africa, upon completing your grade 10 you get a certificate that will allow you to go on to some Jr. Colleges and Tech/Vocational schools. Its something that we want for everyone to at least complete grade 10 because it opens up another world of opportunities for them to go forward should they choose to do so.
Nelly story is odd in the fact that she doesn't know her mother and was raised by her father. She left him years back because of an abusive situation and has since been living with her "Auntie". Not exactly sure if it is an actual relative or not, but that where she stays.
There is something different about Nelly. It is difficult to explain. We see alot of kids, and many are wanting our help. We have more kids wanting to be in LifeXchange than we have mentors for. When you speak to her you can hear it. See it in her smile. She has a confidence about her. We spoke about school and she wants to go back. She knows she is behind, but is willing to make up to finish and get her grade 10.
We made a plan to go to the school and see if they would let her in. We knew it would be difficult. She is almost 8 weeks behind in a school that is already full. I convinced the secretary at the school to meet with her as we both agreed it was in Nelly's best interest to finish now.
Friday. We go to the school at about 12:30 and to my surprise when the students leave early at Friday, so do all the staff. We didn't very far beyond introductions and were told to come back Monday.
Monday: We go in at about 9. We speak with admissions and she did pass her 9th grade which means she is eligible for 10th grade. She said there was room in a 10th grade class as one of them only had 34 students. She said she needed the principal's approval and when she called, he wanted to meet with us and told us to come back Tuesday.
Tuesday. (TODAY) We go back and meet the principal. He said it would be difficult but he would allow it. We assured him we would get the necessary help to tutor to get her caught up. She is also past due on her school fees, that will need to be paid sometime this year. In order to start her auntie would have to come in and sign some papers, pay a R200 ($30) processing fee and she would need to get the necessary school supplies and uniform. We quickly drove and picked up her auntie, came back and filled out all the papers. She starts class tomorrow.
So, where do you come in? This is a personal project of mine. Nelly at this stage is not an official member of LifeXchange, but is merely on a waiting list and coming to our open events. We hope by the end of the year to find a mentor for her. LifeXchange has agreed to help with extra tutoring and making sure she stays up to speed on her classes.
Her past due school fees total R1200, in addition to this year which is another R600.
So here's what we need.
- R1800 ($250) School Fees. R200 of this will have to be paid tomorrow. The rest by the end of the year.
- 11 total notebooks
- math set
- calculator
- backpack
- pencils.
- pullover
- skirt
- shirts
- shoes.
This is a chance to make a life saving difference. Finishing her grade 10 will have a huge impact on her future and if she doesn't go now, statistics tell us she will never go. Please can you help us make a difference in Nelly's life?
If you would like to help out, here's how:
South African Friends
Life Exchange
Standard Bank
Fish Hoek
Business Cheque AccountA/C no: 270398252Branch code: 051001 Swift Code: SBZAZAJJ
Reference: NELLY SCHOOL
American Friends:
Please click donate below.
DONATE
Under the note section, please put NELLY SCHOOL
If you have questions please don't hesitate to email, call, or sms me. Thanks so much for helping make this possible.
Blessings
Shelby
shelby@lifexchange.co.za
0812707988
+27812707988(international)
Hi, sorry there seems to be a problem with our link for our American friends. Please try going to:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.egsnetwork.com/gift/gift.php?giftid=232C0F05-D853-4875-8879-17C803C00903
on the left hand side you will see a folder that says render. Click that. Enter the amount you would like to give. Click add to cart. Click Checkout, and then fill in the appropriate information. Thanks
Also we spent the day today shopping with Nelly. She is excited and nervous. I have been told in the past that youth ministry is messy. Now with youth at risk, you multiply that by about 10. As we are driving home Andrea whispers to me, will this stuff be safe? We found out while shopping it has only been a month or so since she moved out of her dads place with her Auntie. Evidently he was a little abusive, but the new wife was very abusive. She has a social case worker that is trying to find another living space, but for the moment, Auntie is all we have. At Auntie's place there are 12 people living in a 1 bedroom flat. So I say to Andrea, ask her. We ask Nelly if its safe to take these things home and she says no. The auntie will take it and give it to her own kids. Yea, I can honestly say I didn't see that one coming. I have spent the afternoon trying to formulate a plan and the only one so far was for me to keep all the stuff and pick her up in the morning. Some of us from the office will go and meet with the Auntie and see if there is a better solution. The right nudge, in the right direction, at the right time, can change someone's life forever.
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