Learners write about hope

Curro Hazeldean learners were among the winners of the Curro and Ithemba Foundation’s #HOPEtober essay writing competition.

“The 286 entrants ranging from grades 6 to 10 each shared what ‘hope’ means to them while also encouraging South Africans to keep hope alive as we continue to move forward through the pandemic,” said Nosi Mlotsana, spokesperson for Curro.

“The competition is part of the collaboration between Ithemba’s October mental health awareness efforts and Curro’s #HopeToHeal campaign. The winners were chosen by award-winning journalists Marianne Tham, Rebecca Davis, Dana Snyman and Erns Grundling.”

She said to have been chosen as a young, budding writer, by Tham, Davis, Snyman or Grundling as one of the winners of the Curro and Ithemba Foundation’s #HOPEtober essay writing competition, is no small feat.

Thamm said the essays “captured the past two years and how South Africans have had to hope and continue to hope”.

Davis encouraged entrants and Snyman said it was insightful to read how the youth experience Covid-19 and what hope means to them.

Winner Meriqe Pillay, grade 10 at Curro Creston College said that “the capacity to hope is an indispensable human quality”.

“Even in times of crisis when confidence and trust have been broken, hope sustains us in our living.”

Anela Vundla, also grade 10 at Curro Creston College, believes that “hope is a good encourager”.

“It is not, however, a band-aid to cover over actual pain and pretend that everything is okay. It does not guarantee that everything will be fine. It recognises that there is suffering, but it also recognises that there is a reason to keep moving on.”

Curro Grantleigh’s grade 6 learner Shreya Harbans’s moving story of “Gracie” was also extremely moving to the judges as her prose inspired them.

“Hope, as both a verb and a noun, is something that we as South Africans need to hold dear as we continue to face untold challenges and difficulties brought on by Covid-19,” said Marí Lategan, CEO at Curro.

The #HOPEtober essay writing winners are:

English primary schools:

First prize: Shreya Harbans (Curro Grantleigh, Richards Bay; prize money R3 000)

Second prize: Tasheek Dullabh (Curro St George, Gqeberha) and Nala Vilakazi (Curro Waterstone, Johannesburg) (sharing R2 000, thus R1 000 each)

Third prize: Harshivan Naidoo (Curro Heritage House, Durban) and Mehul Morar (Curro Waterstone, Johannesburg) (sharing R1 000, thus R500 each).

English high schools:

First prize: Anela Vundla and Merique Pillay (both Creston College, Port Shepstone; sharing R3 000, thus R1 500 each)

Second prize: Kayise Khumalo (Curro Grantleigh, Richards Bay) and Dallin Naicker (Creston College, Port Shepstone) (sharing R2 000, thus R1 000 each)

Third prize: Joel Janneker (Curro Langebaan) and Mirthav Lachman (Creston College, Port Shepstone (sharing R1 000, thus R500 each).

Afrikaans Primary schools:

First prize: Cleone Stone (Curro Hermanus, prize money R3 000)

Second prize: Shani Blom (Curro Hazeldean, Pretoria) and Ruben Kotze (Curro Durbanville; sharing R2 000, thus R1 000 each)

Third prize: Juanel Brits (Curro Langebaan) and Tenisha Steenkamp (Curro Academy Wilgeheuwel, Roodepoort; sharing R1 000, thus R500 each).

Afrikaans high schools:

First prize: Carli Kruger (Curro Kathu; R3 000)

Second prize: Alexa Vivier (Curro Hermanus; R2 000)

Third prize: Johan Ferreira (Curro Sitari, Somerset West) and Johanne Strydom (Curro Kathu; sharing R1 000, thus R500 each).

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