“Even though the road wasn’t easy, we kept on pushing.”
“My name is Sibongile Mavimbela, l’m 35 years old. I have 4 kids, 2 boys and 2 girls. l used to see my mother working hard for us to make a living and also for us to be able to school. That made me to the strong woman that I am to today. My mother used to wake at 3:00 am in the morning to pack her vegetables and go to the market to sell them so that she can pay for our school fees. She did that because my father was not around. He had 5 wives and my mother was the last wife. So it was very hard to live, we had to eat beans and Okra every day.”
“I was in grade 4 when money ran out for school. My mother told us that ‘We must pray, God will answer our prayers and we will go to school the following year.’ We were young but we prayed and I saw God answering our prayers. A person came to us and they said they will pay our school fees the following year. When we went back to school the Head Teacher (Principal) had a good heart, she told us that she will put us on a scholarship. My faith is strong today, because I have seen our prayers get answered. l finished school.“
“I opened my own daycare here at Bulembu village, so that I can take care of the kids while their parents are at work. I started with 5 kids but now I am looking after 12 kids. I enjoy playing, talking and hearing the kids stories that they tell me but in general l just like being around them. The daycare also motivates me to wake up every morning to put food on the table for my family. My husband is no longer working, he sometimes gets piece jobs, but sometimes those pieces are not there. I make up to 1500 emalangeni ($80) per month running the preschool. This doesn’t include the expenses though.”
“Someone approached Abide Well for me and asked their team to help us. We are very happy now, because Abide Well provides rice and chicken for the children. They bought a cooking pot for us and that makes life easier for us at the preschool. The parents are very happy and thankful for this help. The kids are so happy because even if they didn’t not get meat at home, they will get it here are school. We are praying so much that the Lord blesses Abide Well a lot.”
