Insights
Creating Purpose and Opportunity: Afrika Tikkun Success Stories
For this group of young South Africans, Afrika Tikkun changed the course of their lives for the better
- Afrika Tikkun is a charity that helps to break the cycle of poverty in South Africa
- The organisation gives young people a sense of purpose and direction for their future
- Afrika Tikkun centres offer disadvantaged young people access to education, healthcare and social services
We were honoured to welcome four Afrika Tikkun students to our London office this month. Clament Racheku, Indiphile Sotomela, Ntsikelelo Mkoko and Itumeleng Lebese shared some of their personal journeys with Afrika Tikkun and gave Stonehage Fleming colleagues an insight into how the charity has shaped their lives so far.
“Afrika Tikkun gave me a sense of purpose” shared Clament Racheku, a twenty-six-year-old Data Scientist. “I went to Afrika Tikkun knowing nothing about computers. I went to University in Limpopo and studied Mathematical Science. Now, I do an internship in Johannesburg.”
For twenty-six-year-old Civil Engineering graduate, Indiphile Sotomela, “Afrika Tikkun has always been a welcoming, safe space for me to be myself, to dream, and to be ambitious.”
As an organisation, Afrika Tikkun aims to empower young people by encouraging them to chase their dreams and offering support long after graduation. “If you have a dream, they say ‘how can we support you?’ Their doors are always open; even if you finish your school career, you can always refer to them for help,” said Indiphile.
What advice did the group have for young people considering joining Afrika Tikkun? Twenty-two-year-old author and Public Relations graduate, Itumeleng Lebese, was emphatic: “Just go for it; Afrika Tikkun is such a great investment in your future, and you do not even have to do a lot. You just show up and see the transformation.”
According to Ntsikelelo Mkoko, a thirty-year-old Sports Management student who is working towards becoming a teacher through the Occupationally Directed Education, Training, and Development Practice (ODETDP) qualification, “Afrika Tikkun can help you with everything. There are lots of different programmes that teach ICT, literacy, numeracy, life skills and sports. We also offer internships and bursaries, a healthcare clinic, social services, and food parcels. Afrika Tikkun really helps society at large.”
Ntsikelelo, who originally joined Afrika Tikkun as a student, is now a mentor and facilitator for the charity. “What I enjoy is being able to do for other young people what Afrika Tikkun did for me. When I first entered my centre in 2008, I was a confused young boy. There, I met someone who had previously been through the programme and who helped me grow into the man I am today. Today, I am honoured to provide the same resource for these young people.”