In the impoverished surroundings of a South African township,
Andile often went to bed with one eye open, expecting to be
awoken by gunshots or burglars.
Andile’s difficult start in life was made even worse when, at the
age of 13, he lost his mother to HIV. With an absent father,
Andile was forced to drop out of school, selling vegetables and
relying on neighbours to help him support his younger brother.
A year later, Andile fell in with a bad crowd and it seemed
inevitable that this particular story would not have a happy
ending.
Andile’s salvation came from Ubuntu Education Fund, a
charity that realised Andile’s potential and supported him in his successful application to the African Leadership Academy, a
highly competitive pan‑African boarding school. Andile was one
of only ten South Africans who gained a place in the 2009‑10
academic year and used this experience as a springboard
to launch into a number of successful businesses and social
enterprises.
His primary enterprise is as co‑founder and director of ‘Get
Active Construction and Projects’, a South African based
construction business that hires and trains people from
disadvantaged backgrounds to deliver the government’s
housing rollout scheme. Andile’s company has successfully
tendered for four government contracts, meaning that they will
build at least 1540 new houses throughout the country.
Andile is also a co-founder of Tumbuka Ignite, an organisation
that conducts academic enrichment and career development
programmes for students in disadvantaged rural schools.
Tumbuka Ignite currently has 34 volunteers and eight people on
the core management team.
Andile regularly volunteers for Ubuntu Education Fund as a
teacher and advisor for scholars in South Africa and London.
Andile says that he owes everything to Ubuntu for financing his
education in South Africa and for the continued support they
have offered him throughout his time in London.
It seems that fairy tales do happen after all!
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