Lucretia Maarmen, 20 from Protea Park in George, Western Cape was recently selected as one of ten young people to volunteer in France for six months as part of the National Youth Development Agency’s French Exchange Programme, implemented in partnership with loveLife. The exchange programme allows for ten volunteers from various NGO’s like the loveLife groundBREAKERS peer motivators and community mobilisers to volunteer in France for six months and reciprocally a group of French volunteers will spend six months volunteering in South African NGO’s around the Western Cape. Lucretia, lives with both her parents, her mother is currently unemployed but repairs shoes from home while her father works as a local bus driver.
“I’m over the moon to be exploring a new country for the first time and especially France where I know now there is so much to learn. I also want to show the French exactly what it means to be a South African,” she said. Since finishing school she has completed a first aid course, worked as a cashier briefly and volunteered for the Metro Ambulance Service as a first aider. “My passion is the protection and development of children and I would love to study social work next year so that I can improve conditions for the children in my community, she said.”
The South Africa‐France Exchange Programme is a joint venture between Service Civique; a French institution responsible for voluntary civic service and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has been running since 2011. Local implementation partners were selected in the form of loveLife, South Africa's largest HIV prevention programme for young people and French NGO, Centres for Training for Active Education Methods (CEMEA) and the Burgundy Regional Council in France.
The French Exchange Programme, in its second year of existence, is aimed at promoting a culture of service for skills development amongst youth. The South African volunteers who will work in Burgundy, France are aged between 18 and 25. They have all been selected from the loveLife groundBREAKER programme and other related NGO’s.
During their time in France, the volunteers will be involved in social work, non‐formal education, cultural and after school activities, through the mentoring of the French NGO CEMEA. Upon their return, the NYDA and loveLife will host ten French volunteers for six months.
Phelesa Ngondzi, 24 from the township of Nyanga in Cape Town is very excited to be travelling to France to interact with French youth and learn about some of the common and different challenges experienced by youth in another country.
After completing matric, she completed a qualification in Early Childhood Development which she says is her lifelong passion. Following this, she was unemployed but volunteered at the Amy Biehl Foundation, a non‐profit organisation aimed at empowering youth and developing children. “I will be missing my graduation next week but it is worth it, as going to France is a once in a lifetime experience for me,” she said. Ngondzi lives with her mother who is a cook at a local crèche and her younger sister. “My biggest aspiration is to one day qualify as a child psychologist to support all the children in my community, who are largely underprivileged.”
Jeneline Kennedy, 24 from Dysseldorp in George says that it is her dream job to run her own community outreach centre offering teaching, nursing and career development, especially aimed at HIV positive people in her community after she has lost four of her own family members to the disease. She says that HIV/Aids is the biggest problem in her community. After completing high school, Jeneline who lives with her mother and four siblings, completed an Early Childhood Development learnership and practiced at a local primary school. “My mother keeps reminding me how travelling to France is a once in a lifetime experience and that I must make my family proud. I want to learn as much as possible, take in all the sites, experiences and language of course,” she said.
Lulama Manhanja, 23 Imizamo Yethu in Hout Bay said that being chosen as a French Exchange volunteer was a bitter sweet opportunity for him. “On the one hand I need to support my mother, who is unemployed, and three sisters. I am the only man in the house and it should be my responsibility to provide for them but at the same time I can learn so much by working in France,” he said. Lulama’s family survives only rom the money paid to his sister from a part time job, it will be his second time going to France as he previously played South African Street Soccer in both France and Mexico. He said that he loved his home town except for major problems of teenage pregnancy and unemployment.
Dorpsig in the Cape Winelands local, Frederick Beuman, 21 says that he will miss Sunday mornings and going to Church with his mother and sister the most during his stay in France. “We are a very close family and spend a lot of time together. I will also miss home cooked meals but I am not thinking about that now because I am far too excited about this great opportunity,” said Frederick. “I would like to come back home with enough knowledge and experience to serve as a community leader and combat all the daily issues that ravage especially the youth of this community.”Frederick’s mother is unemployed and does not have contact with his father at the moment. He described immense problems relating to unemployment, alcohol and drug abuse and teenage pregnancy in his community.
Siyabonga Bhaliwe, 18 from the Old Crossroads informal settlement in Cape Town lives with his mother, who is unemployed and younger sister after his father passed away many years ago. “I am over the moon with excitement! I want to see the Eiffel Tower and travel on the underground system,” he said. Siyabonga said that he initially wanted to study information systems or business but will first complete his volunteer work in France.
Roderick Roman, from the Uniondale farmlands in George is the son of a farmworker and the first in his family to ever travel overseas. He finished school in 2011 and applied to the SAPS to train as a police officer but unfortunately was unsuccessful. When asked if he would still like to work as a police officer he said, “At the time I thought it was a sustainable way to earn a living for myself and my family but it is not really my true passion. My real calling is in the arts and teaching performing arts to children as a means to express themselves. Most children in my community have no access to drama teachers, art classes or any kind of culture and expression yet there is so much raw talent here, I want to change that and make sure that the talent here is not wasted anymore.” Roderick said that he is more than excited; he is humbled and grateful to be chosen to volunteer in France.
Zinzie Booi, 19 from Thembalethu in George lives with her mother who is a domestic worker and her five older siblings. She is also the first in her family to ever travel overseas and is excited to see snow for the first time. When asked if her family is excited that she will be travelling overseas, “My siblings are all very excited but my mother is worried about my safety, travelling so far.” Zinzie’s dream is to one day qualify as an arts and drama teacher too. She says growing up she so much wanted to get involved in drama and the performing arts but there were no facilities or opportunities available to children in Thembalethu.
Cape Town local, Thandokazi Siwabe, 20 who lives in the township of Langa says that she would like to qualify as a social worker one day as she knows she can make a real difference. She said, “The children in my community are neglected while many social workers sit around all day not doing their jobs. Helping one person at a time has the potential to change the world.” It will be her first time travelling on an aeroplane, not to mention to another country. Thandokazi lives with her grandmother and has spent the past two years since finishing school working as a loveLife GROUNDbreaker.
Rodger Pienaar, 19 from New Orleans in the Cape Winelands was studying construction but has since put his studies on hold to accept an opportunity to volunteer in France. “I actually want to be a qualified teacher one day but just enrolled for a course in construction to boost my mathematics marks. I’ve never been overseas before and didn’t think I would get the opportunity at this time in my life so I am very excited,” he said. Rodger is one of four children and lives with his father but says that he will miss his mother most as they are very close.
Enquiries:
Nawhal Kara‐Foster
Tel: 011 651 7208
Cell: 084 894 2213
Email: nawhal.kara‐foster@nyda.gov.za
