“My name is Sibuyiselwe Daca. I was born in 1987, September 21st in the Eastern Cape.”

The beauty and vibrancy that exudes from Sibuyiselwe seems so much brighter after hearing her story. It’s a story with much grief, but so much restoration.

Sibuyiselwe has been trying to pursue an education in trade skills for years. She has been motivated by her strong, encouraging mother and her young, bright daughter. However, the pursuit of this education has not come without its setbacks.

Due to lack of finances and becoming a young single mother in 2012, she felt the pressure of being behind her peers while she was watched them graduate. However, she didn’t lose her desire to pursue her own independence and self-sufficiency. She found interest in welding as a career.

In 2018, Sibuyiselwe and her boyfriend were attacked and robbed, putting her in the hospital for 10 days. After surviving extremely painful internal bleeding in her head, she thought again about school.

Even though she wanted to go to school and to obtain a job, she found herself stuck in a cycle that kept setting her back. And so the young single mom found a new boyfriend, who was willing to help get her through school.

While they were dating, on May 5, 2019, they got into a serious car accident. Her boyfriend, as well as a 3-year old boy and a couple in the other car, both passed away at the scene of the accident.

“Back to square one“, she says, recalling that time of her life.

Sibuyiselwe now had no one to support her and no where to turn to. She felt very lost and uncertain about the future, until her younger sister advised Sibuyiselwe to move to Cape Town and explore the courses offered at Hope Africa Collective.

Sibuyiselwe left her daughter in Haldane to keep going to school, and moved to Cape Town to start the Life Development Program in the hopes of providing a better life for her daughter. Walking into class with much hurt, she felt so disappointed by all that had happened in her life. But she started to see hope in the class.

“I remember this session where you could look at yourself in a mirror, and talk to yourself, your inner self. It was then that I found myself crying for the first time in a long time.”

Reflecting upon her life, Sibuyiselwe finally faced her grief. She would ask, “Why me? Why did I survive?” The answer? She realized that through every setback, God had carried her through because He had a purpose for her.

“I always believed that God was there because He always finds me. In that accident, I was the only survivor. That’s when I knew that maybe God has a purpose for me. And when I got stabbed when I was robbed, I survived internal bleeding. That’s when I knew God has a purpose for me.“

While in the Life Development program, she was notified that her daughter’s school fees needed to be paid. So she dropped out of the program for a week to return to Haldane, and then begged Hope Africa to let her back into the program.

Now Sibuyiselwe has graduated the Life Directions Program and has been training in the Trade Skills Program to obtain her welding education. She already has a job lined up for her when she finishes.

“Hope Africa helped me to discover the person in me. I can now see I’m strong and I can stand on my own. These past 10 years I always depended on my boyfriend or my sister to help me. But now I can do it on my own without depending on someone.”

When asked if she had anything left to add, if she wanted to say anything to Hope Africa, here is what shared:

“There are other programs, but there are no opportunities like this. There are no opportunities like Hope Africa—where you find yourself, where you are close to God, and where you can achieve your dreams all at the same time. To Hope Africa, thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for places like Hope Africa. In Africa, there is hope. There is still hope. You just have to believe, you have to have courage. I find myself so thankful.”

Despite much adversity, Sibuyiselwe can confidently say that there is still hope. There is still hope for herself, for people like her, and for beautiful Africa. There is so much that can be learned from Sibuyiselwe’s life, from her persevering attitude to her thankful heart. But may we be simply inspired to reflect on our lives and say with confidence as well, “There is still hope!”