Lockdown Stories - Edufundi

It is true when they say life is an unpredictable journey full of surprises and miracles. As we began the year, I taught my learners a small self affirmation dialogue to motivate and remind them that when faced with challenges or had thoughts of being a failure they can do anything.

When the country went into lockdown, we were told: work remotely, there is no school, teach your children remotely. My initial thought was, “This shouldn’t be that difficult”, but boy was I wrong!

Lockdown helped me to introspect and I realized that I needed to develop my skills as a coach to interact confidently in my occupation. I experienced fear from the thought of starting something new, but soon realized that courage is the answer to continuous development.

I was excited on 21 March 2020, as it was two days before my birthday. My twin sister and I had plans to celebrate it in a special way, but on that day President Ramaphosa announced a national lockdown due to COVID-19.

At first, I was overwhelmed, scared and unsure about what I was getting myself into – considering all of the negative stories, news and rumours about the second wave that I was hearing.

Change is inevitable but how you react to it matters the most. Covid-19 has brought about the greatest changes of our lifetime. Mentors and mentees had to work on platforms they never faced before. I had to now provide the skills and support to my mentees virtually using various methods of technology.

Shaun’s team accumulated and packed groceries and ventured out into the deep, rural areas to distribute these hampers. During level 5 of lockdown, 2000 families were assisted, but this number increased to 5000 and more donations were sought.