Articles – Heartlines

Why can't it finally be fair?

Three black South African youths - Mzamo, Lebogang and Neliswa - discuss what their experiences of race, racism and micro-agressions in the democratic South Africa have been.

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From the time he was abandoned at birth, to the time he eventually found his family, Innocent has struggled with belonging and identity. His story of finding home was a complicated and tough journey. But after crashing - he got back up.

Never imagined myself embracing adulting

By using the skills she learned in the corporate world, Koinonia Baloyi found a way to live out her passion for community development and begin something that is not only changing her community, but her too, for the better.

Failure made me a better person

Harrington’s desire for a better life has been fight after fight, but he has hope that his future will be different.

Our kids need our voices

Gosiame calls raising his daughter, as a single father, a privilege.

I hope to invest in myself

Thabo Mashapa has had to fight to get an education, and although he has not received a ‘conventional’ education, he is gaining knowledge in other valuable ways.

They Sold Us Dreams: Mzansi’s Youth Tell their Stories

Life is rough! Millennials have a unique term for it – “adulting”. This June, social change NGO Heartlines wants to hear the honest, raw, unfiltered side of their adulting stories.

I do not know where to place myself

Joao Pedro was born in South Africa to parents who are immigrants, and although he is proud of his Angolan-South African heritage, he still finds it hard to define his identity.

Continuing her father’s legacy

Mokgadi started beekeeping almost by accident – she used to get some honey from her father’s supply until one day he said to her, “You’re finishing my supply. I’m not working for you.” She got a few beehives to harvest her own supply on her father’s farm. Being a Black woman in a white male dominated industry has not been easy, but Mokgadi is determined to make it work.

I could have been trafficked that day

A narrow escape from being trafficked twenty-four years ago changed Blessing’s life forever. As an anti-human trafficking activist, she is now directly involved in making sure other girls and women are able to return to their homes safely.

I did not think of it as prostitution

Growing up, Hilda’s family struggled financially, but when she fell pregnant in high school, things became harder. After dropping out of school, she decided to become a sex worker to provide for her family.

They called me the little bastard

Blackie’s identity has been questioned from the moment he was born. He was born to white parents in apartheid South Africa, but he appeared coloured. The appearance of his skin made him a target for ridicule and cruelty for years, even from his own father, who questioned his paternity. Here is a snippet from his story.

Heartlines