Children growing up in South Africa

"Sarah belongs in the youth house," says the girls' youth leader … Now let's hear what Sarah thinks about it all …

Sarah is learning to juggle pre-adulthood with schooling and living in the youth facility at the SOS Children's Village Mthatha is her first step towards independence.

18-year-old Sarah moved to the youth facility in 2004. "Living here has not been that easy. A house full of girls has it own set of problems because we all have different personalities. There can be lots of misunderstandings but we work them out. In general, I like it," Sarah says. Sarah enjoys shopping for household goods, cleaning, cooking and managing her own budget. She believes you need to take the initiative in the youth facility and do things by yourself. She sees the youth leader as someone who "only guides."

At the moment there are five other girls in the youth facility. "It can be very stressful at times and then I miss my SOS mom and the things she used to do for me." Sarah stills sees her SOS mother about once a week when she goes for a chat and asks for advice. She has two brothers and sisters in the village who she sees every day. "They like to come to the youth facility to visit me," smiles Sarah.

"The nicest thing about living in the youth facility is that you get to make your own decisions. You can also go outside the village unaccompanied," said Sarah. "The worst thing is having to cope with people with different personalities, especially those who are moody. I put up with it though because this is the kind of independence I need for tertiary school." Sarah describes her personality as kind, calm and collected but she says she can also be loud and talkative. When she needs some time out she enjoys watching TV, reading magazines and cooking her favourite dish: pasta with a tomato based sauce.

Learning about life

During the day Sarah goes to the local high school, Khanyesa High School, where she is doing Grade eleven. Her favourite subjects are Biology, Agriculture and English. "I would like to study Bio-chemistry when I finish high school."

Sarah played netball last year but is trying her hand at tennis this year. She also likes to dance. "I used to do traditional dancing but now I prefer Hip Hop dancing. Hip Hop is so much cooler. I like the messages in the songs, for example, the song 'Squatter Camp', it teaches you to accept who you are and things you cannot change." She often performs Hip Hop at village functions.

During school holidays Sarah helps to look after the children in the family houses, works at the Spar supermarket as a volunteer in the bakery section, or does community projects such as looking after HIV positive people where she and the other youth clean gardens, houses, clothes and/or paint walls. In regards to the HIV and AIDS pandemic Sarah thinks there should be more awareness campaigns. "Our generation needs to wait for things and be extra careful about everything. We need to be more responsible." The girls' youth leader Sivuyile says Sarah is: "able to express herself but also seems to like being on her own, thinking about things, like her family. She loves dressing up and being beautiful. She definitely belongs in the youth facility. She does not need to be told what to do."

Sarah believes she will manage 'outside' because of the good teaching she received at the village and youth facility. "The most valuable thing I have learnt from SOS Children's Villages is accepting things I cannot change such as having no parents, and learning to live with people who have their own problems."

SOS Children's Village Mthatha has been bringing up children since 1997 and currently cares for over 120 children - more than 800 children are growing up with SOS Children in South Africa at eight children's villages (Ennerdale, Mamelodi, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Nelspruit, Rustenburg and Mthatha). Over 9,000 children and their families are supported in the communities surrounding these villages largely through SOS Social Centres.

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