Elsie, a dedicated entrepreneur turned philanthropist born in the Eastern Cape villages where she grew up in abject poverty which qualifies her to associate so passionately with people experiencing poverty .
She is known for her kindness, generosity, and passion for helping those in need. She emphasizes the importance of education and sports in shaping a better future for children, believing that investing in education is crucial for building a brighter tomorrow. Elsie advocates for promoting sports from an early age, seeing it as a tool to reduce dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, crime and substance abuse in communities while unlocking Africa’s potential.
She stresses the significance of community support in uplifting impoverished areas and addressing educational challenges. Elsie challenges the status quo by questioning why pass rates are not reaching desired levels and highlights the socio-economic obstacles leading to high dropout rates.
”Within my community, Wendywood and Sandown schools, I discovered a problem of late comers to school. On many as they walk I did not see urgency of time. I have been collecting leaners that are late for school and would drop them by the school gate for them not to miss much on their first lesson. At times my car will be overloaded by late comers, I will do three trips to school because the more I drive back home the more I meet a late comer. These leaners left their distance home, Alexander township or from Soweto for a better education which is Model C schools.
When I give these kids a lift I will engage with them , my first question is always “why are you late for school” they all had reasons to justify this action. Despite their reason I will tell them about the disadvantages of late arrival at school. I will remind them to take responsibility of their life. Even though my kids are big and has left the community school I still continued to assist these leaners until today. Exam time becomes very stressful for every leaner, imagine those that wake up as early as 5:00 to come to school then they suffer more when its exam time. I felt bad and came up with the solution to meet them half way during their exam time. During Exam time I offered safe space, accommodation to distance leaners from Soweto and those coming from Alexander who are faced with the community environments challenges, they stay with me and use my study centre till after exams, when they are here they do not stress about getting up early or stressed about public transport to school.
My idea of extending this service to local schools could indeed have a significant impact on improving attendance and academic performance across the community. I am helping to create a more inclusive and supportive educational environment where all students have the opportunity to thrive
I believe in collaboration with local schools and parents can lead to the establishment of sustainable solution to address various students may face in their educational journey
Expanding my efforts to reach out to local schools and involve parents in their children’s educational journey is a proactive step towards fostering a stronger sense of community involvement and support. Encouraging parents to take ownership of their children’s school journey fosters a sense of responsibility and accountability, ultimately to improve academic outcomes and overall development”
Through her foundation, “Mothers of the Nation,” Elsie aims to positively impact the lives of children in need by focusing on educational empowerment. Her motto, “A successful child begins with the educational empowerment of that child,” encapsulates her mission to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged youth.
Her greatest passion lies in helping others without being influenced by factors such as race, gender, age, religion, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. She strives to create a world where everyone is treated equally, irrespective of these circumstances. Elsie believes a successful community should begin with the success of each child. In her previous engagements with charity organizations, she gained valuable experience in terms of charity administration and financial management. This she achieved because she enrolled on crash courses in Business and Financial Management which gave her an edge in positions of management. She finally, legally registered her own foundation (Mothers of the Nation), her journey of positively contributing to the development of every child in need has begun.
