South Africa: Education for Refugee Children
Randry is 23 years old, comes from Burundi and has lived in Johannesburg for 16 years. He was one of the first refugee children to find education and care at the organization Three2six. Today he is a teacher and teaches himself there.
“There was a lot of violence and armed fights in Burundi. That's why my mother decided to flee to South Africa with me and my then three -year -old sister. My father was already there and worked in a security company. We wanted a better life - far from violence and conflicts. The trip was very long. We were traveling for several weeks - by bus, train and on foot. When we arrived in Johannesburg, I saw the large high -rise buildings and was overwhelmed.
We applied for asylum and received a temporary residence permit. But no state school wanted to accept me. Then my mother heard from an organization in which children are welcome: Three2six. I will never forget how it was when I got there - I felt at home, everyone was friendly. We learned the teaching material every afternoon from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., but we also had time to play and got something to eat.
Three2six opened a lot of doors to me: after four years, I was helped to get a scholarship and I went to another school. Then came the covid pandemic. When I was asked if I could help Three2six, I immediately agreed. I worked on a voluntary basis for 18 months, then I was hired as a teacher. At the same time, I study pedagogy at the university, I am in the third year. Now I work in the organization that helped me as a child. That is a wonderful task. "
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