CN&CO #SharingTheLove: Bokamoso empowers youth through mentorship

[Feature Image: Gabisile with Mary-Jane on an outing to watch Matilda]

Apart from the work we do with our awesome clients and partners, CN&CO is also involved in a number of projects and organisations that make a big difference in the lives of many people.

Over the next few weeks we will share some of these with you and invite you to join us in uplifting the individuals and communities involved in these projects. This week we share a story from Bokamoso Education Trust.

Giving our children education is the best investment we can make and we are proud to say that our friends at Bokamoso Education Trust have been actively involved in helping secure a future of at least one child. Bokamoso not only provides the kids with financial aid for school. It also provides them with a structured mentorship, which has been beneficial in helping to equip them for the future.

We asked Sarah-Jane, a mentor about the role she plays to her mentee, Gabisile (Gabi) Radebe and how the mentorship program has benefited her? Read below on what she had to say:

What is your role as a mentor to your Gabi?

I feel that I play the role of a trusted big sister to Gabi. She does not open up very easily so I hope that as her mentor, she trusts me enough to open up and ask for guidance when she needs it or to appreciate my guidance even when she may not think she needs it.

Why is it important to you to play that role?

As she enters her first year of high school, I feel that it is important to help her navigate her way through the next few years so that she comes to understand the value of an education and invests enough of her time and energy into it so that she leaves with opportunities that will allow her to stand on her own two feet with pride and grace at her side. I hope to help her understand the opportunities ahead of her, that she may see that her goals are achievable.

How do you think you and Gabi have benefited through this mentorship programme?

With regards to how I have benefited from this process – It’s definitely not an easy task, I must admit. But each time I meet with Gabi, I walk away in absolute awe of her strength and determination. Now it’s just a matter of working out how to help her manifest those powers in a way that helps her to become her best self.

Bokamoso not only requires financial support, but you too can contribute to making a child’s dream a reality by offering support through mentorship to a child. Visit Bokamoso Education Trust website or contact Bokamoso CEO, Cathrine du Toit on cathrine@bokamosotrust.org.za to find  out what you can also do to help.

Learn more about Bokamoso mentees: Bokamoso mentors shaping the future generation