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Meet Linda Sanssouci, a Lay counselor and crisis interventionist at both Hillview Secondary, N.E.S.S. as well as one primary school in the Newlands East community for the past six years.
Linda also runs her own aftercare and homework classes at Barracuda primary school due to children’s safety after school, poor academic performances and supporting late working parents.
Up until last year May, she assisted with the schools feeding scheme of nearly 100 children until it came to a standstill. The kids were then left unfed for a month until one day she arrived at Barracuda Primary and noticed a little boy crying because of a monkey who wanted to steal his crust of bread that he had found in the school drain. She then decided to take on this much needed challenge, as they say “a hungry child is an angry child”. She then approached the school principal to inform him that she would be taking over the feeding scheme. With just two existing sponsors that provided help for the kids, only two options were available, one being sandwiches and the other soup, with the veggies and meaty bones available at the time. Further arrangements with sponsors for groceries were then made.
She then found herself cooking for the kids three times a week to provide them with a well balanced hot meal. When asked about the facilities available for this, she said:
“The container that I cook in is not a very healthy one, as the roof leaks and the gas stove is not in a good condition at all, but I somehow with God’s grace I manage to prepare meals for the kids.”
Linda also has a holiday program during the school holidays teaching the kids different life skills and responsibilities. There she has to work around the clock gathering sponsors to make this a success. One of the main sponsors needed is to arrange for meals during the program on a daily basis for five days as the program runs for a week. MRP(Mr.Price) also sponsors the kids with a set of clothes for Christmas. Linda is dedicated to the children that she assists, and has one philosophy when it comes to them:
“I enjoy what I do as long as it puts a smile on a child’s face and makes a difference in their lives.”
A big thank you goes out to Ithemba Labantu, Ashram Shrinath Ramanuj Foundation, and City Hill Church for the assistance being given. If you can assist in any way with the great work that Linda is doing in our community, Please comment below or email us at aweh@newlandseast.co.za
