Meet Qaqambile Mehlomakulu

This is one of our Hope Scholars. Laura and I are doing a series of pictures of these kids in their homes for SAEP's newsletter. This boy is one of my favorites. Fourteen and full of promise. His family's house is cement with one room and a tap outside. It's one of the nicest in the area.

FYI: The letter "Q" in Xhosa is pronounced with a loud click off the top of your mouth, so Qaqambile's name is pronounced "Click-Click-Mmm-Bee-lay." That took me a long time to do properly, and I'm still not sure I've got it, because the kids giggle at me every time I try.

(The following are his answers to an "All About Me" worksheet I made - he finished my sentences - my parts are indicated in italics)

All About Me:
My name is Qaqambile Mehlomakulu.
I was born 1994-11-06 in the Eastern Cape*.
In my house, there are two windows, one door and a big** yard.
If I had three wishes, I would wish to pass my matric*** exams, to own my own house one day, and to be alive till over 75 years.
When I grow up, I want to finish my studies, find a decent job, and have my own family when I'm old enough.
If I had to be trapped on a tropical island, but I could bring three things, I would bring food, clothes and a blanket****.
My favorite thing to do is read and write.
My favorite thing to eat is pork especially Ribs.
The best thing about me is that I'm a generous person.
Every day I look forward to having the greatest day of my life.
SAEP is a good programme because it helps us a lot.

*Most of the population of the townships consist of economic refugees from the rural Eastern Cape, formerly designated a "homeland" for the Xhosa people under Apartheid (this is where I traveled with Bongs and Patrick a few months ago)
**In the townships, "big" as a relative term equates to a square meter in this case
*** This exam is required to graduate from high school and scores are used to determine admission to university
**** So practical! :)