Mildred (*21.04.1998) was born in Bungoma, West Kenya. She is the oldest of four children. Her stepfather works as a janitor at the school, while her mother works as a laundress, when possible. Mildred is a talkative girl. She helps her parents with cleaning the dishes and collects water from the nearby well. She loves to read and always finishes her homework on time and then helps her younger brother and sister. Mildred has just started with seventh grade and is looking forward to it.

Maryam (7) attends the kindergarten of Hekima Waldorf School. Her alcohol-dependent mother was not able to care for her adequately. Maryam now lives with her father. Despite some small difficulties in the beginning, she is well and loves her father above everything. In kindergarten she loves running through the meadow and playing catch during the brake. In class, she is often distracted. This is mainly because she never went to a kindergarten and her mother often left her alone at home. The positive development of Maryam in the last few months clearly shows how important it is for her to visit to the Waldorf kindergarten and the Waldorf school.

Hussein (* 8.9.2002) is in class 1. His class teacher organises the lessons with humour and joy, which means that Hussein is in good hands. He still finds it hard to understand the English lessons, but he does his best. He manages to write particularly well. He is always happy to join in during lessons, helps his classmates and you can rely on him. In his spare time, Hussein plays with his friends. He is the one who calls them together and organises the games. Unfortunately, the mother often has problems, to raise money for the household. But she is very open toward the school so the school can help her.

Teboho (7) is now in second grade and loves to act out animal fables. He is filled with enthusiasm and energy. However, he also strives to improve the areas more challenging to him such as sitting still and working quietly. His understanding of the work is good and he is always eager and happy to help fellow students with all tasks.

Charlene (13/07/2006) loves attending kindergarten. Preferably, she would like to sing all day and spend all of her time there. The boys at the kindergarten are always very impressed by her climbing skills on the playground.

Lisa (2/19/2002) is a gentle girl. Usually she works very calmly and focused. Lisa is very inquisitive. She is very happy at school, even though she sometimes feels lonely and misses her family.

Alizwa (7) lives in Kwasa-Kwasa Zwelihle with both his parents and his sister. His parents are both working as security guards and earn little. His little sister attends the Waldorf kindergarten. The family lives in a two-roomed shack and shares a single bedroom. At school Alizwa loves drawing and always looks forward to the math lessons.

Okuhle (7) stays with her grandmother in a township near to the school. Her mother is an unmarried student who is still at school. They both are dependent on her grandmother who is a domestic worker and earns a very small income. Okuhle is a bright and cheerful child who looks forward to each school day.

Imange (4) is a very happy girl. She comes to kindergarten with a big smile on her face and immediately starts to play with the other girls in the doll corner. She knows exactly how she must bind her dolls with a cloth onto her back. Imange is very independent for her age, but at lunch she always needs a reminder to continue eating.

Prince (21.12.2008) Prince is a very lively boy. He has to be in action all the time. He is jumping into the air, running through the classroom, rolling over the ground or laughing. He loves to swing or to play with the wooden cars.

Shumirail (09.09.2008) is our little angel. She is a very quiet and satisfied child who loves to roll on the ground. She always has a smile on her face and she could sit at a table forever when she is playing with modeling clay.

Zeethe (* 3.1.2007) is Jamie Davids (class 3) sister and the youngest child of Johnny, the gardener and maintenance man at our school. She lives with her parents and two siblings in a self-constructed shack in McGregor informal settlement. The mother does contract work when available. Zeethe is a strong little girl who manages the challenges of the playgroup well. She loves swinging, is friendly and outspoken and willing to help.

Quint (* 12.7.1999), the youngest of three children, is living with his parents in a small house in McGregor. His father is an electrician and handy man who does contract work while the mother, a cleaner, is unemployed. There an alcohol abuse problem but the family is protective of Quint and he loves his family very much. Quint, an inquisitive boy, works very hard to produce outstanding school work and good results. He is confident, determined and focused on his work. He can be irritating and disruptive at times.

Lulibo (* 4.4.2005) is the older of two children of his single mother who does some seasonal work when available. He stays with Valencia who is his grandmother and the school’s hostel mother. On days off they stay in Zolani Township. Lulibo is an interesting, fun and social boy who likes an audience and experimenting. Paying attention to details in kindergarten he has a good visual and auditory memory and is an open book.

Muhle (8) attends second grade. Together with his older brother Ziyanda and his single mother Ida he lives in a small house in a township close to school. His mother works at Robertson Winery. Muhle is bright, active little boy. Eager to please, he can be mischievous at times. When boisterous with his classmates he never intends to hurt them. He copes well with the classwork and is a delight to have.

Rozadin (8) lives in a little house with extended family members. He is very well brought up and polite. His father is a gardener and looks after various houses in the more affluent part of the village. Rozadin’s parents are committed to Waldorf education and actively participate in the school community. Rozadin has a wonderful memory and can recite word for word all the long poems that he learned in class. He is sociable and friendly and much loved as a playmate by all his classmates.

Aphiwe (*14.12.1995) lives together with his parents and three brothers. He is a hard-working pupil, loves gardening and learning other practical working (sewing machine a.o.).  His father is working in a factory, his mother is AIDS researcher.

Lulutho (*16.3.1997) has settled in easily to her new class, although she has only been at the school for a term. She is very friendly, kind, compassionate and hard-working. It is a pleasure having Lulutho in class, as she is always smiling and comes to class with an open mind and positive attitude. Lulutho always does her best and works hard to make corrections and improvements wherever necessary.

Sihle (* 13.5.1999) lives with his divorced mother, his older sister and his small little brother in very poor conditions. His mother can only pay one fourth of the school fees from her small income. Sihle is a very polite boy who likes to help his classmates. Although Sihle has great difficulties in math and English, he never gives up. In arts class, his classmates admire him for his artistic ability. His good humour is known throughout the school.

Scanlon (*2.12.1998) is a pleasant boy. He is friendly, polite and considerate towards his classmates. He is a keen learner and always gives his best. The reason that he is at Khanyisa is that he struggled to cope with the fast pace in the mainstream school. He works hard in maths and is eager to accept a challenge. His weak point is his spelling and he struggles to write sentences, he is open to learning and strives with lots of encouragement. He enjoys building mechanical things, playing soccor, building puzzles, science, history, and learning about animals. He does not enjoy maths but tries his best. He does not have many friends at home and depends hugely on the social interaction from the learners in the class and at school. Scanlon is very sad because he has not had contact with his father in the past 5 years. He confides in his mom, about his feelings and situation.

Janome (*9.06.1997) is a quiet boy who is eager to please. He has made slow yet steady progress over the last few months, still struggling with literacy and numeracy. He is easily distracted and becomes playful at times. Due to his caring nature, every one in the Class likes Janome. He tries hard to do his best at all times. Janome enjoys playing soccer and hockey.

Thando attends Khanyisa School since 2009 and is now in 6th grade. She is friendly but very shy. She always strives to be among the best in class, although she has great difficulties in reading and arithmetic. Her mother works part-time as a secretary. The salary is so low that they must live in the nearby township of Khayelitsha. Her father has completely broken off contact with Thando. Her mother likes to offer her help for school activities.

Sivuyisiwe lives with her mother and sister in the Makhaya Township, which is located adjacent to the large township of Khayelitsha. Siwe, as she is called, attends the 2nd grade of Zenzeleni Waldorf School. She is very good in school and therefore she always looks for some activity she can pursue while she sits in class. She has many friends and loves the breaks, in which she talks extensively with her “girls” and jumps the rope with them.

Ndyebo attends the Zenzeleni Waldorf School since 2012. He is a very quiet and introspective child. He follows each lesson with full attention, even though some things still cause him trouble. His paintings and drawing on the other hand are beautiful - full of passion he can spend hours working on a single picture. Ndyebo lives with his sister at the Baphumelele orphanage located in the Khayelithsa Township.

Lutho actively participates in the class. He is always interested in the lessons and has an excellent memory. Conscientiously he completes the learning tasks and homework. Luthos favorite class is art because he loves to paint and draw. In order to continue attending the Zenzeleni school, Lutho relies on financial support, since his parents cannot pay the fees.