“I want to make a bright future for South Africans and change the world and do my best for the whole country.”
Tinkerbell, age 11
Maybe you’ve seen the Ad already. An eleven year old girl, with two puffy pigtails and a pink cardigan colours in a solution she has devised to help homeless people in South Africa. A boy, talks about his idea to solve the problem of litter. Something about his confidence warms your heart. You get the feeling he’s really smart. And funny. One after the other of the smartest and most imaginative children show you how they want to solve the problems we all face. Problems that are all serious in their own right.
But their hope is infectious.
They are the children of Afrika Tikkun – an organisation committed to ensuring these and other township kids reach their full potential. The Ad is part of the Change the World Campaign. It’s a silver lining over the dark clouds of bad news that hang over South Africans every day. And like the flutter of the moth in Pandora’s box called Hope – this campaign wants to change the conversation a little more toward what is possible, what is worth living for, working for and investing in – our young people.
You are invited to meet the children, and join the campaign. Help us to change the conversation about young people. Not youth unemployed, not youth uneducated or untrained, but young people – bursting with potential, full of the brightest ideas and highest ambitions.
| Meet Tinkerbell Rautheneimer | Meet Surprise Ncube | Meet Sandy Phala |
 |
 |
 |
| Each day I go to school betters my chances of becoming a lawyer to be able to stand against things that are wrong in society.
In South Africa, there are lots of homeless people. Homeless people make me feel heartbroken, and make me feel sad because they also need a bright future. I want to create a machine that will transform old clothes for new clothes for homeless people. To change their lives and give them a bright future.
|
My dream job is to be a Robot Engineer. I would love to invent a robot that could help children with their schoolwork.
In my community there is a lot of litter. This is why I created the litter tractor. It works underground to suck in litter and put it in rubbish bins and keep our environment clean. People are going to help me collect materials in plastic bags, and then recycle that material.
|
My dream is to finish school with good grades so that I can study Osteology and help people who suffer from bones diseases like arthritis. One day I hope to find a cure for serious diseases like cancer and make sure that the sick are cared for. I want to own many community clinics and help the existing ones with more medications.
I also want to build a flying house that goes around and fixes other houses. |
We believe South Africa will be a better place if we can unlock the potential of our young people. We know that young people can do great things and with access to the economy and the right tools they can be the best they can be.
The young people interviewed came up with remarkable inventions for everything from crime, to housing, litter and clothing for the homeless. They imagined flying busses and a wristwatch that can predict the future. Ever wondered how you could avoid the inevitable dangers of cloning dinosaurs? One boy has the idea to populate Mars with dinosaurs.
- Reignite conversations about this country and this world’s future with hope and imagination.
- Interview some of these future inventors.
