Can any of us understand how it would feel to have been in boarding school since you were five years old?
To have never had your mother attend a single performance or award ceremony? To have never had a parent with you to acknowledge any of your achievements?
Can anyone relate to this statement: "I feel like my school IS my family. Sometimes I feel like they are all I have." Or this statement: “The ONLY good thing in my life is singing.”
We need to find funding for our beautiful girls who, through no faults of their own, have parents who have fallen on hard times and can no longer afford their fees.
Yes they are in a private school, and some might say they should just leave and return to government schooling - but we need to remember they are here for a reason. They are here because they have unique artistic talents that they will not be able to nurture and grow in a normal school environment.
I just cannot look them in the eye and tell them that they must leave. PLEASE HELP!
Read their stories. These are all genuine cases, but we are just calling them Angel 1, Angel 2, etc. in order to protect their identities. These reference numbers will be used to ensure the right girl gets the funding.
And if you feel you want to help, there are several ways you can do this:
1. SMS SING TO 42646. R30 will be taken off your airtime / contract.
2. Make a donation to Drakondale, into the following account, and use Angel 1 or Angel 2 as your reference.
Drakondale Girls Choir School
FNB Howick
ACC No. 62636342925
REF. ANGEL 1 or ANGEL 2
3. Corporate or Company donors needing to take advantage of tax rebates will receive a Section 18a Certificate from The United Africa Girls Choir Organisation who have offered to collect funds on our behalf.
UNITED AFRICA GIRLS CHOIR (NGO, Registered Section 18a Company)
NEDBANK Branch Code 198765
ACC No. 1140512536
ACC TYPE: Current
REF. ANGEL 1 or ANGEL 2
4. PLEDGE a monthly amount towards school fees for 2020. Just give us your name and email address and we will send you a pledge agreement. You can choose the following options:
1. R100 a month 2. R250 a month 3. R500 a month 4. R1000 a month
“My name is Angel 1. That’s not my real name but I can’t tell you that - and I like Angel better than my real name anyway, so I don’t mind.”
“I have always loved singing. In 2017 I was singing a solo at my junior school concert when I was approached and offered a 50% scholarship to attend Drakondale Girls Choir School. This was the MOST exciting thing that had ever happened to me. I had not had a very easy life before this, with some quite horrible things happening to me which I also can’t talk about, and had never been offered anything this amazing before.
I begged my parents day and night, and sang to them continuously until they finally agreed.
2018 was probably the best year of my life, and included our choir winning GOLD in the WORLD CHOIR GAMES.”
“In about September last year though, my parents got divorced ... and suddenly my father just disappeared out of my life. I didn’t know it at the time, but my mother was no longer able to keep paying the full fees, even after the scholarship, because my father was the chief breadwinner and he was nowhere to be seen.
Finally, a year later, my mother admitted to me that I am going to have to leave school because she already owes so much money and can no longer make the payments.”
“I am so, so sad. Initially I even tried to commit suicide but I am now under a psychologist’s care and learning to cope. Fortunately, my grades have always been quite good so I have been able to keep them up - and the singing helps me on a daily basis. But...singing is the only GOOD thing in my life and I desperately want to stay at Drakondale and keep singing. I have grown so much here and have some wonderful friends.” ANGEL1
My ‘name’ is Angel 2. In 2018 I joined Darkondale Girls Choir School and I was immensely proud to have passed the singing audition.
Daily life at Drakondale is filled with incredible experiences. I am proud to be attending a private school, but I am also determined not to lose sight of my roots.
I recently attended the Reed Dance. I was amazed that this could be every day life for some people - and I loved the experience. I felt “cultured” because absolutely no private school girls were there as they tend to look down on this event. I hope I made history ... and I got to meet the King.
My Reed Dance experience was so much fun and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It made me appreciate what I have, but it also made me proud to not be afraid to explore my cultural roots.
Which brings me to the reason for this letter, and not being afraid to ask for help when you need it.
My mother is a single, very hard working parent who does everything she can to support me financially. Because of this I very seldom get to see her and she can never manage to attend any of my shows or concerts. However, I did not quite understand how much she was battling to keep me at Drakondale. Finally, my mother has admitted to me that I am going to have to leave school because she already owes the school so much money and can no longer pay the fees.
I do NOT want to leave Drakondale. I want to keep singing and I want to be here with my friends who ARE my family, because my mother has to go away so much that I don’t often see her.
I would be most grateful if you could help. That would be super amazing.” - ANGEL 2
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