A Joburg native, Georgina never set out to start a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO), but as she was volunteering at a soup kitchen during COVID-19, she would talk to the children about what they were doing while schools were shut down. She found out that many of them had not heard from their schools since the pandemic began and saw how these children from underprivileged areas were on a constant backfoot due to a lack of access to online resources. What started with her printing out and marking Math and English worksheets for a couple of children quickly grew into a group of forty young minds, desperate to learn.
Four years later, Safe Study looks very different – over one hundred kids make their way to the Safe Study classroom each day after school where they’re exposed to a wide variety of learning programs that most public schools don’t offer. Besides a full music department — that includes a choir —, they also have a chess club, skate club and boxing classes. Additionally, they offer lessons in crochet, sewing, knitting, mosaic, beadwork and art and a dedicated homework section where children can do their homework with the help of tutors. As the organisation grew, Gina noticed that the older children wouldn’t come as they had to take care of their younger siblings so she opened up a creche and an Early Care Development (ECD) department too.
She says, “I think it’s really important to carve out safe spaces for extracurricular learning for children because so many of these kids come from such unsafe and unstable backgrounds, and to have a place where they can come and do their homework, get a meal, receive homework assistance and learn a creative craft that will hopefully better their chances of employment.” By providing this free service, she hopes to give an opportunity for the children to use the skills learned to gain meaningful employment or even start their own business one day. The social impact of her work also means that impressionable children are kept off the street and away from nefarious influences while giving their parents peace of mind to continue their workday knowing that their children are safe.
When asked about her proudest moment so far at Safe Study, she says that there isn’t one specific moment, instead it’s every time a child chooses to walk through the door and spend time investing in themselves that is a success to her. She also mentions how proud she is of her team of facilitators – after losing so much during the pandemic, many didn’t know where to turn until they found Safe Study where they’ve built a community that has become a family.
“The best piece of advice I can give is to keep going and to persevere. Don't be disheartened or give up because where there's a will, there's a way and I truly believe that even if you are just taking it day by day or week to week - just keep going.”
“Change for me, and women, in 2024 is all about opportunity – more opportunity to use your voice to get more access to skills development and resources to better their circumstances”, says Gina. Her best piece of advice to those wanting to make a difference in their communities is to persevere and not be disheartened when things don’t seem to be going anywhere.
Gina is guided by two mantras that guide her work, the first being “If you don’t ask, the answer will always be no” and she mentions how valuable this has been as part of Safe Study’s growth. She had the courage to ask for grants and donations, to put herself out there to try and get funding from large corporations because without asking, she didn’t know what the outcome would be. The second is the famous Nelson Mandela quote: “Education is the greatest weapon which you can use to change the world” which she adds her own spin to:
“We may not be able to change the world, but if we can at least change one kid’s life then we’re doing something right.”
Three women inspire Gina to keep going:
• Danielle Bernstein, a business owner who started a charity called “We Gave What” in the USA that harnesses the power of social media to raise awareness and inspire collective action to support small businesses and NPOs.
• Tebello Motshwane, the owner of Sister-in-Law, a platform dedicated to empowering women by educating them about how to use the law effectively before the need arises.
• Rachel Kolisi, the founder of The Kolisi Foundation. Gina looks up to her as a businesswoman, a mentor and a partner, and would love to chat with her about how she manages to do it all.
In an ideal world, Gina would love for Safe Study to expand across South Africa. She says, “My biggest dream would be to have Safe Study running as a self-sustained, fully operational school run by those who we have upskilled and who have worked within the community”. She’d also like to launch Safe Sport, which gives children access to sports like hockey, rugby, netball, cricket and soccer. She believes that not all children have to be academically gifted to be brilliant, they can excel in other areas like sport and art and still make meaningful change.
To get involved with Safe Study, Gina mentions that what they desperately need is money to buy the things they desperately need. Over the years, they’ve received so many donations of books, musical instruments, computers and more but with more funds, she’d be able to pay the facilitators more, pay rent and provide more nutritious meals for the children. They’d also appreciate the contributions of digital literacy learning tools as she’d love to give the children the opportunity to get comfortable with using these tools in preparation for their futures.
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