Meeting Esther!

We are standing outside a small run down primary school in a town called Chwele, approximately 20 km from the Academy. It is a Sunday in mid-June and most of the students are on half term break yet there are still over 50 children all flocking around me, I scan their faces, searching for the one I recognise, but amidst the many excited greetings, movement and confusion I can't tell. Stepping back from the crowd I climb onto a nearby step and hold up the photo I have with me asking, 'Esther, ico wapi? (where is Esther?). A shaven headed girl in her simple primary school dress is shyly pushed to the front and I instantly recognise her face... 'Esther! Woohoo I found you! I am your sponsor!"

I first heard about Agape in Action at a Wednesday night bible class special presentation. I don’t remember who the presenters were or what their particular message was. I just remember going away from the talk and thinking ‘I want to sponsor a child'.  Considering I was a high school student with minimal income from a newspaper round I knew this really wasn’t something feasible for the near future. However, this was something I knew I wanted to do and I knew would eventually happen if I set my mind to it. I knew my dream of sponsoring a child would happen one day; I just had no idea how far that dream would actually take me.

It was a few years later while in my second semester at university that I noticed an advertisement on the university jobs board as a soccer coach for Seymour College –a prestigious girls day and boarding school in the Eastern Suburbs. Until this stage I had been working part time nannying and casual office assistant work with my sister. Working as a sports coach was something that was on my list of ‘101 things to do as a teenager’  and I felt this was the perfect opportunity. Carefully articulating my application letter I hit send on my email and made a promise to myself- ‘if I get this job I will sponsor a child!’.

Two weeks later heading out the door to visit my cousins I had an unfamiliar number appear on my phone, a cheery voice introduced herself as PE coordinator at Seymour and said if I was still keen they would like me to start the next week! My prayers were answered and I jumped into the car with my brother quizzing him the entire way about what his coach did at soccer trainings since I had never actually played competitively myself or seen a single training in my life!

Not having the internet at home I headed to the local library and excitedly filled out the online form, confirmation arrived shortly after

Child ID: 800. Name: Esther Makhomi. Likes: Beans and Rice, Netball. Father says “I am unable to provide for my family”

I had finally achieved one of my goals, I was sponsoring a child! To be sure that I was able to continue this always I opened a new bank account and deposited my entire first terms coaching payment into it- if I was ever to run short on money or loose my income I had enough there to continue payments for a year while I found more work. 

Little did I imagine four years ago that beginning this sponsorship would eventually lead to me actually living here and working as teacher to many sponsored high school students! 

...Esther seems very surprised at my appearance but with some prompting from her teachers she overcomes her shyness and gives me a guided tour of her little school. The students perform songs and poems in honour of the visit and I am invited by the school director to give a speech to the students, I notice Esther's face light up when I mention her by name, thanking the staff and administration for the work they do providing a safe haven at this primary school. The many students gawp at me in awe and then excitedly wave us off as we say our farewells and drive away...