Written

“Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger.”
Ben Okri, author and poet

Few things can inspire us like stories can. Read these stories and feel your heart grow bigger.

Defying culture

Cultural norms and traditions are beautiful and complex, but in Nellie’s case, they were used as a weapon against her.

My mother gave me up for adoption

Mmashikwane’s view and experience of family changed radically when she was 10. Hers is a story of learning the value of family and community.

Depression made me feel weak

When Anela’s depression became more severe, she thought that suicide was the only option. She recounts the story of how it brought her to a halt, and how, eventually, she survived.

I was abandoned at birth

From the time he was abandoned at birth, to when he eventually found his family, Innocent has struggled with belonging and identity.

I made the right choice

When her stepfather and mother got a divorce, Daniella’s life nearly fell apart. It affected her health, and all of a sudden, she had to fend for herself.

My career looks different to what I'd imagined

Using the skills she learned in the corporate world, Koinonia Baloyi found a way to live out her passion for community development and begin something that is not only changing her community, but her too, for the better.

Failure made me a better person

Harrington’s desire for a better life has been fight after fight, but he has hope that his future will be different.

Residences were only for white students

When I applied to Rhodes University I was told there was no accommodation for me – their residences were for white students only.

Motherhood brought me home

Motherhood brought with it a gift of love, but it also brought Morongoa necessary, tough lessons about life. When she became a mother, she began to understand her mother’s perspective.

Pregnant at 17: All I wanted was to be free

Falling pregnant at age seventeen seemed to be the end of Nontokozo’s world. Her dreams had to be put on hold, and a degree seemed like a distant possibility.

I lost my daughter to cancer

Dear O, I miss you dearly, it’s been a while but I will be fine. Days are getting better, and everyone is doing just fine. Mommy is imagining a 20-year old you, in varsity and living your fullest life.

Mitchells Plain exposed me to gangsterism

A potentially fatal eye operation and growing up in a community often notorious for drugs and gangsterism could not stop Lance from achieving his goals.

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