When life gave her a different perspective on her surroundings, Anthea Petersen established Shandapal Foundation to transform the lives of girls from her previous community.
Petersen who grew up in Rabie Ridge hosted a group of girls from the area in Noordwyk on 29 April, to show them a world outside their norm and to provide a platform for them to engage and motivate each other. She started the foundation in 2016 doing mostly charity work and motivational talks. The aim of the initiative is to elevate, motivate and transform the lives of girls in disadvantaged communities.
“Growing up in Rabie Ridge, there was a lot happening around me including abuse, drugs and gangsterism. I just wanted to make a difference,” she said.
Petersen said she was passionate about assisting girls because they grow up to be the caregivers in homes and the community. She said without a strong foundation, girls who grow up to be single mothers cannot cope with the pressures of life and may succumb to temptations as they struggle to provide for their children.
“If a young woman knows her values and her worth, she can stand her ground as a female and grow her community. But most of all, be independent and play a meaningful role in society. Today I took the group of girls out of their surroundings to show them that there’s something better out there and for them to engage and uplift each other.”
One of the girls, who wished to remain anonymous, said she turned to drugs when life got difficult for her. She revealed that she had used most of the drugs available in the street market and now suffers from a liver disease.
Another girl who attended the gathering, Misharlee Crisp, said about the initiative, “It is making a lot of difference. We get to discuss issues that we have always wanted to talk about, our challenges and our downfalls. In that way, we are also able to uplift each other.”
The monthly gatherings will continue until the final Shandapal transformation in August.
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