Stories
When we share our stories, understanding, empathy and trust grow. Our relationships improve and we get a stronger sense of community. At Heartlines, we’ve seen how story-sharing has impacted and connected thousands of people beyond anything we could have imagined. Here are some of those stories.
Do you have a story that everyone needs to hear? We want to hear it! Share your story here.
All stories
We got by each day even though we were not rich
Mashudu, a young woman from Limpopo, shares her story of growing up in poverty – yet being able to triumph above her circumstances.
Read more about We got by each day even though we were not rich
My attacker infected me with HIV
Eleven years ago, Romila was attacked and raped on her way home. Aside from the trauma of the initial attack, she later found she was HIV positive.
Read more about My attacker infected me with HIV
An Indian woman married to a black man
My father was not happy that I was dating a black man and found it extremely challenging to accept my relationship. Read more about An Indian woman married to a black man
Living with dyslexia
A lecturer once said to me that if she were my mother she wouldn’t be wasting her money on someone like me. Read more about Living with dyslexia
A white young man at a Xhosa initiation school
Brandon and Yanelisa are friends who come from very different backgrounds: one of them is a white, English young man; the other a black, Xhosa young man. Read more about A white young man at a Xhosa initiation school
It all started when I was seven
Overcoming abuse is never an easy thing, especially if the abuse began in your childhood. Zandile, a brave young woman shares her story with us. Read more about It all started when I was seven
I have lived a life of pain
South African actor Israel Sipho Matseke Zulu (Israel Makoe) opens up about his name, growing up in Alexandra township and how being incarcerated changed his life. Read more about I have lived a life of pain
Raising a child with Haemophilia
Nerissa, a mother of two, shares her story of what it's like to raise a child with Haemophilia and how she's raising awareness about the condition. Read more about Raising a child with Haemophilia
Being an outsider
Daily I live with the thought that I, too, may find myself in the wrong place at the wrong time, guilty of being a foreigner. Read more about Being an outsider
My life in pictures
From humble beginnings to finally achieving one of her biggest goals, Dimakatso shares her story with us Read more about My life in pictures
I knew I was dark before I knew I was black
Black is beautiful or is that light-skinned black? Zama talks about growing up with darker shade of skin compared to the rest of her family Read more about I knew I was dark before I knew I was black
The apartheid secret police tapped my phone
From tapped phones to being banned from addressing large crowds. Listen to Brian share his story about creating a non-racial South Africa during apartheid in South Africa.
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