It’s no surprise that Sandiele grew up to be an English teacher.
In 2006 she said she wanted to be a teacher, probably English, because she was fascinated with a world beyond her own. Sandiele’s curiosity with other cultures was nurtured by Compassion, and the teachers at her project made an impact on her. Sandiele learned to speak English at the project, and it sparked within her a fascination with the English language. Sandiele was also involved with music and dance at the project, and she admits both those activities helped her develop into the woman she is today.
When we asked why she became a teacher, she told us that, “I understand that a citizen is formed from his childhood, so my idea was this…I get to educate people that in the future could be good citizens.”
Sandiele and her husband have been married for seven months now (November 2012), and as newlyweds they already own their own home. Sandiele teaches basic English at a local public school, and also teaches English at the project. Sandiele has gone from being the student that needed encouragement, to the teacher that does the encouraging.
She ended her interview with this thought: “I would say that one must believe in change, believe that despite all adversities there are children who have the potential, they can reach places, they can build a better future, so it is important that there are people to invest in this area, to care just like I was taken care of…it was my motivation knowing that there were people in another place, in another country, which I did not know, that came to meet me, but were investing in me, somehow believing that I could succeed, that I could be somebody.”
