Michelle’s Journey to Success

Michelle’s story illustrates the highs and lows that have been experienced by so many vulnerable children. The trauma, abuse, absence from school, maternal substance abuse and other factors dramatically affect daily life, learning and understanding. Some children are unable to cope or catch-up and against the odds, others do incredibly well in the mainstream system.

At age 11, Michelle* and her four younger siblings were welcomed to Home from Home after a tough life on the streets. It took resilience, therapy, compassion and grit from both the foster mother, social workers and five girls to get through the bumpy first few years.  

Michelle did well academically in both primary and high school and received a bachelor pass in Matric. (A remarkable achievement given her shaky foundation phase learning and the challenge of Covid-19 in Grade 12 in 2020). The next step – university to study psychology with her first year of studies also heavily affected by the pandemic.

Michelle completed her degree at the end of 2023 and graduated in April this year. She is 21 years old and no longer qualifies for foster care grant support from the State. Fortunately, Home from Home’s transitional support programme were able to step in and offer her a place in their James Town transition house on the outskirts of Stellenbosch. Further support will be given to her as she searches for an internship position within her field of study. Michelle’s resilience, persistence and hard work has been impressive. With guidance, support and opportunity, great achievements are possible.

Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash