Girls go to work with Mbeki
27 May 2005
Anelisa Balfour, a 10th grader at Byletts Combined School in Centane village in the Eastern Cape, had a few sleepless nights this week. On Wednesday she flew for the first time.
As if that was not enough, she spent Thursday shadowing President Thabo Mbeki as part of The Presidency's participation in the Take a Girl Child to Work campaign.
Balfour wants to be a chemical engineer, but she also dreams of becoming an ambassador for South Africa and her village. Despite growing up in poverty, with her only support being her single mother, who also has to look after three other children, the 14-year-old is determined to realise her dreams.
She was one of four girls from disadvantaged communities whom the President asked Cell C to invite, as a way of expanding the benefits of the Take a Girl Child to Work Day campaign.
Her three other colleagues "at work" were Noluvuyo Sixholo from St Mathews High School, also in Eastern Cape, Celiwe Luthuli
from Emang Mmogo in the Northern Cape, and Lauren Hendricks from Modeo High School in the Western Cape.
The girls "worked" with senior officials in The Presidency, including presidential legal adviser Mojanku Gumbi and Director-General Frank Chikane.
Later, they joined President Mbeki and his speech-writing team to finalise his Budget Vote Speech in the afternoon, then closed the day in Parliament, again at the President's side.
"I hope to learn a lot from my meeting with our hard-working President," Balfour told journalists on Wednesday.
Gumbi, a custodian of the campaign, said: "Take a Girl Child to Work Day is an excellent campaign for young girls in terms of choosing a career path.
"Although it may be difficult to take the girls out of schools, we find that it's very worthwhile for them to spend a day at work. As a result, Cell C may in future need to look at staggering the programme over more than a day."
Gumbi added that the response to the
campaign from companies, public organisations and individuals has been "amazing and encouraging".
"With the campaign happening around the President's budget vote, we have found that the girls always come up with interesting ideas about what could be done in the country." Contributions made by the girls have been reflected in the President's speech in Parliament in the past.
Cell C seeks to provide girl learners in grades 10, 11 and 12 with workplace experiences to deepen their thinking and aspirations about their roles in society.
About 200 000 girl learners were expected to converge on workplaces around the country on Thursday, with over 400 private and public sector organisations - more than double 2004's number - registered to take part in the campaign.
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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