The Mergon Foundation Podcast Mergon Foundation

Roughly 14 years ago, Nhlakanipho Zondi heard about an iThemba kids programme happening at a school in his community. Curious to see what this kids programme was about, 12-year-old Nhlakanipho decided to stop by. This is his Story of Hope.

14-year-old Joan Mwadiwa and some of her friends were bullied in primary school because of their ethnic roots. Afraid that speaking about it might make it worse, Joan kept it to herself for a long time. This is her Story of Hope.

Maurisha Theron was stuck in a demanding retail job which not only robbed her of spending time with her family, but also of her joy. After resigning, she struggled to find another job for nearly three years. This is Maurisha’s Story of Hope.

There are many drivers behind homelessness, and it would be wrong to assume that it’s always issues like substance abuse, family dysfunction, mental health issues or criminal affiliation that lead to a person becoming homeless. Often such psychosocial factors are very well the main drivers, but Daniel Thlabathlaba has a different story of how he ended up on the street. This is his Story of Hope.

Lizwi grew up in a disadvantaged community in rural Eastern Cape. Yet, he always had aspirations to achieve great things, despite his dire circumstances. His path crossed with that of Leva Foundationwhen, during his software development studies at university, he applied to assist Prof Jean Greyling in taking the TANKS coding game to underprivileged communities. This is Lizwi’s Story of Hope.

In an area like Zithulele where only 25% of youth attend an educational institution, only 5% have completed matric and a staggering 70% of youth are unemployed, many young people are hopeless and unsure of how to navigate these difficult life circumstances. Sinethemba Beja was one such young person who didn’t manage to finish her final year of high school. This is her Story of Hope.