Meet Eric Majindi. When he first joined the Strengthening Foundations Program, he was quiet, often keeping to himself. But in the first three weeks, Eric gradually begun to step out of his shell, engaging more with others, contributing to discussions and finding his voice within the group.
From the trainer’s perspective, this kind of growth is exactly what the program is designed to nurture: “𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘌𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘯, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.” — Nora Rapana.
Eric demonstrated strong commitment, maintaining consistent attendance and showing genuine willingness to participate in activities.
One particularly powerful moment came during a group exercise designed to build empathy and understanding. Participants traced their feet, wrote personal reflections inside them and then exchanged with others, symbolically “𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦’𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘦𝘴.”
The aim was to encourage participants to reflect on the experiences of others and build deeper emotional awareness.
At the end of the activity, participants were invited to share their thoughts. When it came time for Eric to speak, he bravely opened up: 𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐝, 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲.
This moment resonated deeply with the group. It sparked a wave of empathy, with participants openly expressing their feelings and support for one another. It was a strong reminder of the shared experiences that connect us all.
The success of moments like these is made possible through strong leadership and guidance. Special thanks goes to program Mentors for their ongoing support, strengthening the impact of this program.
As the program continues, stories like Eric’s highlight the true value of the Strengthen Foundations Program, not just in preparing individuals for employment, but in building confidence, compassion and community.