The power of dreams
MIDRAND – African Bank took 11 learners under their guidance in 2016 and now they have passed matric with distinctions.
African Bank took 11 learners under their guidance as part of a mentorship programme in 2016.
All of the girls passed matric with a bachelor’s admission averaging 70 per cent and have all been accepted into various universities for this year.
Jessica Sehlabelo from Inqayizivele Secondary School was the top student in Ekurhuleni North, achieving 100 per cent in accounting and physical science.
African Bank’s Hanri Nel, together with her colleagues Bibi Tilly who drove the project, said it has been an exhilarating 24 months. “When we first started the programme in 2016 we identified top achievers in the three schools African Bank had selected as part of its mentorship programme.”
The schools included Umqhele Comprehensive and Ingqayizivele secondary schools in Ivory Park and Thuko Ke Maatla Secondary in Tembisa.
“We never dreamt our girls would do so well. The programme was all about equipping our learners to survive ‘life after Grade 12’. The journey was not always easy and we have learnt so much along the way.
“Being part of this journey has been such a blessing. These girls have demonstrated that sheer guts, determination and loads of hard work pay off.”
Kennedy Dembetembe, who heads up the bank’s national corporate social investment drive said, “As an organisation, we would like to encourage other organisations to embark on similar projects. The high dropout rate amongst first-year university students is alarming and this has a lot to do with readiness. If corporate SA could get behind more initiatives of this nature I feel we would definitely see an improvement.”
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