Nompumelelo

Mukhanyo Christian Academy

Nompumelelo

An orphan.

Currently Seeking Sponsorship

Click here to sponsor this child.

We introduced Nompumelelo, or Mpumi for short, and her cousin Bafundi to you about a year ago, but she has changed so much in just a short year that we need to renew our acquaintance! And we have another motive, of course: Nompumelelo is one of our children who really needs a sponsor to help cover the costs of her education at MCA.

At the beginning of this year Nompumelelo really struggled in school. She’s a smart girl, but lacked the motivation and drive to complete her schoolwork. In addition, she used to rip her assignments up and throw them on the ground or cop an attitude when she was asked to do something. We feel that Nompumelelo’s negative behavior was her way of seeking attention from teachers. However, as this year has progressed we have been delighted to witness a complete turnaround. Now, Nompumelelo is a cooperative student and easy to teach. While she still has a big personality, she has learned to control it and exhibit more appropriate behavior at school. We attribute much of Nompumelelo’s success this year to the Charlotte Mason curriculum, which creates a very structured learning environment and gives students the tools they need to explore and master topics.

As you may remember, we recently visited all of our students’ homes. After visiting Nompumelelo’s home and learning more about her life, we realized that her stubborn streak comes from a lack of parental supervision and some real hardship. Nompumelelo never knew her father, and her mother died when she was only three. As a consequence, Nompumelelo and her two sisters (Lindiwe, 16 and Nomthandaza, 11) and her brother (Mduduzi, 15) are being raised by their grandmother.

Nompumelelo shares a house with many other people, including her cousin Bafundi who is also in Grade 1 at MCA this year. For several years, this family lived in a tin shack; however, this group of 10 was finally able to move into a small brick house. Although the house is very simple and lacks running water, the family is very thankful for their shelter. However, it is easy to tell that this family struggles. Nompumelelo lacks a proper uniform, and her pants have holes in all the wrong places. However, she always comes to school clean. This may not seem like a major accomplishment, but it shows that this family respects the few possessions they do have. In addition to being taught at MCA, Nompumelelo also goes to the Manaleni Care Center, where she gets meals and other services that she can’t obtain at home.

Nompumelelo absolutely loves school. She adores reading and listening to stories as well as participating in nature study. Nompumelelo’s favorite color is red, and her most-loved animal is a dolphin. Depending on what day of the week it is, she either wants to be a model or a writer when she grows up. Although there were some fireworks to start, Nompumelelo’s liveliness is now a positive motivator for other students, fueling their curiosity and desire for knowledge in the classroom. Nompumelelo has shown more improvement than any other student since the beginning of the year. As you’ve hopefully seen with many of our students, MCA gives struggling children the individual attention they need to learn and flourish.

Nompumelelo and Bafundi were featured in our June 2011 Newsletter. If you’re not already subscribed, click here to be added to our monthly updates.