Kids Stories

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Read the heart-warming stories from last year’s Castrol Skillz Holiday Camp participants:

Neo Mothoa – 13 years old

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Neo Mothoa (13), from Molato in Soweto dreams of becoming a scientist so that he can have a hand in helping people suffering from HIV/Aids. Although he has never been directly affected by HIV/Aids, his understanding about the impact the pandemic has on communities increased during the Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme.

For Neo the impact of the programme has been far reaching. “The Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme taught me to respect people and to treat everyone equally. I also had a lot of fun playing soccer and making new friends. I think the most important thing about the programme was learning about HIV/Aids and how to protect myself from getting HIV/Aids. I learnt that we (the youth) are the future and it is important that we tell everyone about HIV/Aids, so that we can stop it from killing more people,” says Neo.

Tebogo Tshimane – 13 years old

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Thirteen year old Tebogo Tshimane lives in Soweto and is inspired by her mother, Dineom, who is a pre-school teacher and her grandmother, Elizabeth. However for this family discussing HIV/Aids isn’t something that has come easy. Luckily for Tebogo things changed when she attended the Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme in September 2009, enabling her to openly discuss HIV/Aids and the impact it has on families.

Tebogo’s mother who is the sole bread-winner for the family has always instilled the importance of education and the value of independence in her daughter. She was happy to learn that her daughter was signing up for a holiday programme that would keep her busy during the holiday season and teach her valuable life skills.

“The Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme inspired me to treat people as equals and to make a difference in my community by teaching others what I learnt during the programme,” says Tebogo.

According to Tebogo, the Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme not only provided her with important information on HIV/Aids but also gave her something different to do during the school holidays.

“In addition to learning, I also made new friends and got to play soccer which is considered to be a sport for boys. One of the most important lessons I learnt was how important is it for our generation to remain HIV/Aids free as we are tomorrow’s leaders. At the end of the day we all have choices and I chose to treat everyone with respect regardless of their HIV status and I have also made the choice to work hard towards my dreams,” says Tebogo.

Lerato Mka – 14 years old

Lerato Mka is a 14-year-old girl who lives in Motherwell, near Port Elisabeth. Following the death of her father, who she was very close to, her mother noticed that Lerato started retreating into herself, losing her usual resilience and determination.

“When my dad died, I did not know what to do. He was my hero and my friend. I especially missed him during the school holidays because we used to spend a lot of time together. Since his passing, my school holidays have been consumed by watching television and this made me miss him even more,” says Lerato.

The school holidays last year however, signalled a new beginning for Lerato as she enrolled in the September Castrol Skillz Holiday Programme.

Lerato’s mother, Queeneth Mka, is impressed with the effect the programme has had on her daughter. “When she came back from the first day, I noticed a difference in her immediately. She was so much more vocal and I saw the daughter that I knew emerge again,” says Queeneth.

Lerato is very enthusiastic about her future since the programme. She now has big plans to become a Chartered Accountant.