Free Education for Everyone

If 12-year-old Lyla and Sabri from Cape Town could rule the world, they would ensure free education for everyone.

They belong to families from different ends of the wealth spectrum, attend different schools and have access to different networks. But in the last two years, through the Christel House South Africa Simunye (We are one) project, they have had the chance to get to know each other through recreational and learning activities involving hundreds of their schoolmates.

By playing and studying together, the students get to know each other, breaking down mutual biases and developing meaningful networks that can change their lives. They also build long-lasting friendships.

South Africa is still the most unequal country in the world. However, it is energising to see how Madiba’s legacy and his vision of freedom and equality for all live on in the goals and actions of the children of Cape Town. 

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, Nelson Mandela used to say.

In Perspectives #5, we asked 12-year-old Lyla from the affluent St. Cyprian School, and 12-year-old Sabri from Christel House for their personal view on some essential aspects of life: their concerns, their dreams, their strength and what they would change in the world.

If 12-year-old children in South Africa are speaking out about securing education and health for everyone, then the present and future of South Africa can be bright.