Ibenathi Novoyi

Country: South Africa

My birthday is 2011-02-08

Status: Vulnerable Child

My favorite subject is social sciences.

I enjoy reading poetry.

I want to be a lawyer.

Ibenathi Novoyi is 13 years old and from a village called Ngqele. At home, she lives with her mother, sister and niece. Her parents are divorced, and her father has remarried. This has had negative effects on her life ever since it happened. Ibenathi’s name means “God was with us”. Her favorite subject is social sciences, and her favorite sport is netball. When she grows up, she wants to be a lawyer because she wants to stand for the truth. Ibenathi loves poetry, too. One day, she hopes that her dreams will come true so that she can build her own home and make her parents proud. Ibenathi lives at Intlantsi Christian School in Fort White during the school week.  On the weekends, she goes back to her village, Ngqele, where she lives with her mother.  While Fort White has the most modern amenities available in the area, the surrounding villages are quite different.  In the villages, people collect water from a communal tap and use outhouses.  Though they have access to electricity, most villagers cannot afford to pay for an electric meter. Most of our children have grown up attending no-fee schools, where they are provided what may be their only meal for the day.  Most girls like Ibenathi do not finish high school.