Thankful to be Mad for Math(s)

November is the most nerve-wracking time of the year for Infinite Family's Net Buddies as they wrap up their year-end exams. It is also when we begin to reflect on the progress our teens have made during the school year. With thanks in our hearts, we know it is the generous support of our precious donors and sponsors that carries them through, with strength and smiles.

Picture the scene last week when 15-year old Lwando* bounded excitedly into our Alexandra LaunchPad after his year-end Grade 9 Math exam.  He’s new to our Infinite Family program, only joining in January this year, and when Program Director Zoleka Petse got him to calm down enough to speak clearly, he beamed that the test was ‘good’ and ‘he was sure he’d done well’. 

Click here to let him tell you all about it.

While Lwando’s success was no surprise to us, it is a very new feeling for him. This is a critical time in his high school journey as Grade 9 is an exit point for many teens, who are allowed (and often pressured by their families) to drop out of school after these final exams. An astonishing 60% take that option in order to find work and support their families.

Thanks to the support and encouragement from his weekly video calls with Jeremy, his mentor in New York, Lwando will be back in January to start Grade 10 and to continue building a better future for himself. (Right now, he sees himself as a tech bro!)

Stats show that students who stay in school until the end of Grade 12 have 5 times more earning power than those who drop out earlier.  We are deeply grateful for the commitment of our Infinite Family to keep our teens in school and preparing them to succeed! 

*  Note: Photos and quotes are all real Infinite Family Net Buddies. For their safety, we change the names and images to protect the identities of minor-aged teens.

Township Dangers Take No Holidays

While our teens buckle down for the end of the academic year, the threats around them are just heating up. December is known as “the Silly Season” in South Africa and as summer days get longer and holiday festivities ramp up, there’s an inevitable spike in the crime, substance abuse, and violence that our Net Buddies are already so familiar with. 

In communities where the majority of adults are un- or under-employed, ‘alternative’ means of making money are rife. Being out of school during the holidays often means having to navigate the temptations of streetside gambling (impromptu dice tables are on every corner), inducements to join a gang, and other situations that can pull on the insecurities of bored teens.  

Click here to see a slice of township life that highlights exactly why Infinite Family’s program and LaunchPads are so important. 

Through your mentorship and your donations, you give them a safe place to go and the resources to study and excel at school. YOU provide them with a healthier path to a brighter, more stable, financially independent future. 

In the midst of all the Black Friday shopping deals, please remember Giving Tuesday on December 3, when Global Giving generously matches ALL gifts up to $1,800!

Anything you can give will have double the impact on that day! And will help keep our teens safe, working, and out of danger. Here’s what your gifts can do. 

$15 keeps ink in our printers, so students can print out their study notes. (Not an option they have at school or at home.)

$19/mo keeps a student connected for weekly mentorship sessions 

$55/mo provides 5 students with access every day to computers and the internet. 

$150 funds a college student with the books they need for a full year

$550 buys a new laptop for Net Buddies to do homework and assignments in the LaunchPad. (We need 12 this year.)

Thank YOU!

Net Buddies and Video Mentors are the heart of our Infinite Family

Click here to see the Infinite Family Anniversaries we celebrate in November.

Thank you for being our Infinite Family

Infinite Family supports [my son.] His communication skills have improved and he is working hard at school. I am so grateful for the Infinite Family programme because it makes him stay away from bad stuff like drugs..  ~ Mrs. M. Damage, Net Buddy Parent