LEAP - The journal of a street kid

The Unbreakable Leader

Thandi was seventeen, tall and confident with a sharp, intelligent gaze. She was often the first to step in when there was conflict, and everyone in the house knew that when Thandi spoke, people listened.

Her story was one of survival, of a girl who had grown up in a small village where she witnessed her father's violent death at the hands of corrupt government officials. After fleeing to the city, Thandi spent years bouncing between foster homes, each one worse than the last. At fourteen, she had found herself alone on the streets, hiding from abusive adults who preyed on vulnerable children. But Thandi wasn't the type to stay down for long.

When she arrived at Miracle House, Thandi became a leader not by choice, but by necessity. She had learned early on that survival meant protecting those who couldn't protect themselves. And when Sisonke arrived, she took it upon herself to guide him through the intricacies of the house, to teach him how to trust again.

"Don't let your past define you," she told him one evening as they sat together on the porch, watching the sunset. "The world might have hurt you, but you're not broken. Not here, not in this place."

Kabelo "Kabe" Ndlovu – The Quiet Dreamer

Kabe, a soft-spoken seventeen-year-old with wild curly hair, was a stark contrast to Thandi. Where she was confident and outspoken, Kabe was introspective and prone to long silences. His escape was in drawing—he could often be found with a sketchbook in hand, capturing the world around him in intricate detail. His drawings spoke volumes about the life he had lived.

Kabe had grown up in an abusive home, his mother struggling with mental illness and his father absent for most of his life. When his mother passed away, he had no one left, and he ended up living on the streets. He had wandered from shelter to shelter until he found his way to Miracle House, where his quiet demeanor and immense artistic talent caught the attention of the staff.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Sisonke had asked him one day, curious.

Kabe paused, his pencil hovering over the page. "I don't know," he said softly, not meeting Sisonke's eyes. "Maybe an architect. I want to build something beautiful. Something that lasts."

Zola Mthembu – The Rebel with a Cause

Zola, a fiery fifteen-year-old with short-cropped hair and a defiant attitude, was another resident of Miracle House. She had come from a small town in the Eastern Cape, where her rebellious streak had often landed her in trouble. Her parents, both involved in political activism, had been jailed for their work, leaving Zola to fend for herself.

Her story was complicated, filled with loss, anger, and a yearning for justice. She didn't trust easily, especially adults, and she would often clash with the house staff. But under that hardened exterior was someone who deeply cared about the people she considered her family.

"Just because I don't follow the rules doesn't mean I don't care about the people here," she told Sisonke one evening, after a particularly heated argument with one of the house caregivers. "I've lost enough people to know what it means to protect those you love. I'll go to war for them, even if it means breaking a few rules."

These new characters would come to play pivotal roles in Sisonke's journey—whether it was through shared strength, kindness, or unyielding loyalty. Together, they would form a bond that could not be broken, teaching each other the true meaning of family and belonging. And though Sisonke had come to Miracle House looking for safety, what he would find instead was a community of survivors, each of them fighting their own battles, but fighting together.

For the first time in his life, Sisonke began to believe that he was truly part of something. A family, a future, and perhaps, even a miracle.