Zoe
Mncwabe Sizophila aka Zoe
At 18 Zoe is the youngest student at the Gateway School of Fashion. She lives in an orphanage which only grants her a place on the condition that she is in education, meaning that the project has saved her from being a street orphan and trying to scrape a living from unskilled jobs.
One of 12 children, Zoe has lost her mother, a sister, and her sister’s baby through HIV.
Zoe says: “I have had a very good year, I have learnt a lot of new skills. I have learnt from my mistakes, which I have made, this helps me grow within my work. I really enjoyed being on this course and of course having gentle, loving people around us.”
On completion of her studies, Zoe was one of five students selected to work in a fashion incubator associated with the Gateway School project, thereby allowing her to continue to live at the orphanage.