10 Aug Faces of Resilience: Women’s Month at MathMoms
In the lead up to Women’s Day on 9 August, we visited some of our schools and asked the incredible women in our programme about their dreams, their joys, the things they are proud of achieving, and their wishes for the women in South Africa.
There is a resilience that is born out of hardship and survival – a form of resilience we see everyday in the women in our communities and country – and there is a resilience that comes from knowing that you belong, that you have a network of trust, from having secure attachments. We use our resilience to nurture that form of resilience in the next generation and in each other. This month, we will introduce you to some of the magnificent women in our programme – resilience builders, knowledge builders, community builders.
Lily Cornelius is the oldest of our MathMoms, and an example to us all. We asked her what brings her joy: “It makes me feel so good that I can bring joy to the face of a child. I want to be a legend, someone who always makes a difference in others’ lives.”
“Teaching at the school is my proudest moment, and it brings me joy to feed the children and love them no matter what. I want to teach them the difference between right and wrong and to help them stay away from drugs.” – Audrey Fernandez, MathMom in Rawsonville.
Our Rawsonville project was launched in 2020 – a tough year for any team to find its feet! But they excelled – they built resilience in their communities through supporting learners academically and emotionally (and keeping tummies fed!). They are beacons of hope in their communities, around whom learners can gather and be warmed by positive attachment and playful learning.
We asked our Norwood team what they wish for the women in their community: “To live in a healthy environment, free from abuse.” They are working towards making this wish a reality by nurturing relationships across generations and by looking out for the kids in their community.
The MathMoms programme aims to open doors for women – further studies, future employment – by providing them with training, experience, and financial support.
“I want to change the world a little bit at a time,” says Vanessa Dickson, MathMom at Range Primary, “When we see we are able to make a difference in one child’s life, we feel positive about our ability to change more children’s lives.” We have seen how seemingly small, everyday actions of kindness can make a big difference in our communities, because such actions create structures of trust to support all members of the community.
The group at Range want to inspire other women and youth to become involved in their communities as well:”I hope that God will give women in my community the wisdom and courage to become who they want to become in life,” says La Rochelle Esau, while Patricia Zass asks that people actively reach out to others and become involved in community initiatives like soup kitchens.
We asked the MathMoms at Elnor Primary what they like most about themselves and they responded:
their confidence
their courage
their kindness
and their strong personalities
As Simonette Strauss put it: “I’m not the kind of person to be brought down by setbacks. I get up again, I look life squarely in the eyes, and I continue living.” It is this inner strength that they hope to nurture in the young learners they work with.
Our Moms at J.S. Kloppers all share Litticia’s wish – for women to work together and support each other. And there are concrete measures we can take to achieve to empower women and communities: “Create more jobs for the youth,” says Patricia Geduld, while Litticia also calls for the promotion of “equal opportunities for all across race barriers.” But it is not only the youth that we need to invest in.
Annaline Johnson shares her story:”I left school in Grade 9 due to circumstances, but I was able to hold my matric certificate in my hand at the age of 46 years. Of this I am very proud. My wish for the women in my community is to be independent, and to achieve this government must provide working opportunities or learning programmes for women between 50-60 years.” At MathMoms, our focus is on building intergenerational community networks, where young and old(er!) can learn, work, and create.
Rachel’s sentiments are shared by the other Uitsig MathMoms, who find great satisfaction in their work with the learners. For Mavis Craayenstein, the highlight was knowing that parents trusted her and send their children to her for maths lessons, and she hopes to inspire the parents in her community to take an interest in their children’s school work.
Emmerencia Maritz has a special message for the women in her community:”Keep your head up and take your place – be that person that everyone can look up to. Be women of difference and women of strength. You are all amazing.”
It is Women’s Day, and the MathMoms at Eureka Primary are celebrating their inner strength, their confidence, the pride they have in their work and their achievements. These characteristics we see in all the individuals in our programme; we see it in the educators and principals we work with, and in our broader community of supporters who know that an investment in women is an investment in resilient communities and a better future. Today is a reminder of the power of ordinary individuals to bring about extraordinary change in the face of injustice, of violence, of all the hurts in this world. To our MathMoms and interns who raise their children with love, who teach and care for their communities’ children with love and everyday acts of kindness: thank you, thank you, thank you. Your value is beyond measure, and your work will positively impact a whole generation.
