Aphoku and Ayandie (names have been changed for protection) are 4 years old and are cousins. Their mothers are sisters and both are alcoholics. Neither of their mothers work and their fathers are nowhere to be found. There are a total of 5 children in their household.
Aphoku has four siblings that live with them and Ayandie has 2 siblings, one of which is also living with them. Their household of 7 is currently living off of R900 a month in government grants. The boys first started at the attending the Vukuzenzele preschool in January 2015. At the beginning, Aphokue was very shy and didn’t want to be separated from his little cousin Ayandie. He would suck his thumb and cry without participating in the Montessori activities and sit in the corner rather than participate in the movement classes. Within a month, his behavior changed.
Now he takes initiative; choosing work from the Montessori shelves without waiting to be coaxed to do so, and joins in the movement classes. His confidence levels have risen and smiles a lot, clearly enjoying his time at the preschool. Ayandie is also growing in his confidence and has shown improvement in being able to work by himself and make friends in the class.
