Three Outstanding Young Men

At our recent Awards Evening, we celebrated the achievement of many students and three young men in particular. These are their stories.

Goldman Gambiza

We met Goldman Gambiza when he was just 14, an economic refugee from Zimbabwe. As a child in the ruthless streets of Cape Town, he became part of the Adonis Musati Project an organisation doing wonderful work with refugees in the city. He was enrolled at School of Hope and soon became part of the family. The tension of being at school when his struggling family expected him to work, was overshadowed by his obvious academic intelligence and love for learning. But the tension remained. In spite of this, Goldman continued to perform well academically and reached Grade 12 easily. Goldman is a sensitive, compassionate young man. He demonstrates the value of HOPE, a joyful expectation for a preferable future. He is determined to complete his tertiary education and we will certainly be there for him throughout that process. Goldman wants to study IT in 2014 and to help him, he was awarded R3000.

Thabo Zaba

Thabo Zaba has passed every academic year out of sheer persistence and enthusiasm, which is the hallmark of his character. Thabo can put a smile on any face and always shows the staff and school the utmost respect by dressing in full school uniform and being that person you hope guests will meet first. Thabo has experienced some tragedy and difficulty during his time at School of Hope but he picked himself up and continued to prioritise his education. In 2012, while in Grade 11, Thabo left his parent’s home to live at Beth U'riel with other young men from our school.  Thabo will make a success of his life simply because he is so lovable and a truly endearing person. To describe his years at School of Hope, Thabo said: I see the revolution in me! Thabo embodies the core value of TRANSFORMATION, having undertaken a remarkable journey from the first day till now. Thabo will study business in 2014 and was also awarded R3000 towards these studies.

Chuma Mdingi with Educator,
Ade Oyewo

Chuma Mdingi arrived from the Eastern Cape and enrolled at School of Hope in Grade 10. Chuma was quiet and barely spoke, battling with the language of instruction and the social tensions in his new environment. In his own words, he had struggled to make friends in the Eastern Cape but at School of Hope he not only made friends but became part of the family. He displays a maturity that is really remarkable. Quiet people can easily be overlooked and seem passive or disinterested, but Chuma’s quiet confidence and exemplary behaviour give him an authority and a strength of leadership that needs few words. He achieved excellent results in 2013 and one word describes his behaviour: consistency. He is the same in every situation, always positive, always respectful, never foolish but he also displays an intelligent sense of humour. Chuma embodies the core value of RESPONSIBILITY having taken responsibility for his learning and his life. He too wants to study IT in 2014. Chuma was declared class Valedictorian and is recipient  of the Denver Andreas Award for excellence. As such, he was awarded R20 000 towards his studies. Well done, Chuma! 

The awards were made possible by three donors: Alessia Brown awarded R2000 on behalf of her late husband Malcolm Jacky Brown, who was a donor from 2006 until his passing in 2012. He cared deeply for the work at the School of Hope.  

Joanne Leddy is  originally from CT, but living in Ireland. She has been putting away 100 Euros every month since the beginning of the year. She is the working mother with three children, one of whom has Down's Syndrome. She sent us the funds with this message: I wanted to help someone, someone hardworking, driven and hungry to follow their dreams. Someone whose life is different because of School of Hope and because of their tenacity to succeed!! Joanne awarded R4000.

The donor of this year’s Denver Andreas Award is Inkomba Energy. Anton Badenhorst, the CEO, is passionate about developing young people. He is father to four boisterous boys and when he does not give us funds, he has been known to be a handy-man, fixing things around the school. He also spoke at our Career Day on being an engineer. He knew Denver Andreas, the first principal of the school, personally and mourned with us his tragic passing in 2004.

Thank you to all of you for your gift that will help these three outstanding young men to continue their journey of life-long learning in 2014!