The Power of Education

In 2015, Jamie-Lee’s father passed away, and she was struggling to juggle primary school while taking care of her two younger sisters. She and another friend heard about School of Hope and immediately ran to enrol. Jamie-Lee knew that if she didn’t jump on this opportunity, there may not be another one. After arriving at the school and speaking with the principal, she applied, and eventually enrolled at School of Hope. In 2015, she began dating a gangster. While there were aspects of her life that had fallen into place, with his questionable values and morals, her partner began derailing her life. Jamie-Lee eventually dropped out of school and moved in with her boyfriend. After taking the fall for an illegal act her boyfriend performed, she was arrested and spent a month in prison. Once she completed her sentence, Jamie-Lee knew she had to get her life back on track, as there was a better path somewhere out there for her. Jamie-Lee moved back into her mother’s home, broke up with her boyfriend and began working as a cashier in order to support her family. She was determined to go back and finish school. “There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living,”.These words spoken by Madiba, are close to Jamie-Lee’s heart. She knew she too could make a change to become the person she always believed she could be. School of Hope provided her with a second chance after dropping out for three years. They encouraged her to come back and complete her Matric. Thanks to the funding received from private donations through the Sponsor a Desk initiative, School of Hope is able to provide learners like Jamie-Lee the possibility for a better tomorrow. A donation of R250 each month provides School of Hope with the means to make these opportunities available to a larger portion of the youth in our community. >>>https://www.hope.org.za/sponsor-a-desk Now, Jamie-Lee, at age 21, is completing grade 9 at School of Hope. She hopes to continue studying after her matriculation-- she wants to become a beauty therapist, as she loves helping others to relax and relieve stress. She wants to one day build a house for her mother, and see her younger sisters matriculate. Education holds great value to her now. Jamie-Lee says she would love to see School of Hope presented with more opportunities to provide education to learners, calling it a “fantastic school, a place for second chances. Here, they care.” Written by: Taylor Nelson and Zane Tanis, Interns from Grand Valley State University, Michigan, United States of America