Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria and Daybreak House
On a crisp Saturday morning, a group of girls from Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria arrived at Daybreak House carrying not only donations, but something far more valuable—hope. They came with arms full of ice-cream and sprinkles, ready to treat our little ones, and hearts full of compassion, eager to play and connect.
But this is not the first time these young women have reached out. In May, during their annual Charity Week, AHMP supported Daybreak House by collecting the single largest donation of baby products we have ever received. Then in July, a group of girls visited us to learn more about our work and spend time playing with the babies in our care. Their involvement has not been a once-off act of kindness, but a growing commitment to stand alongside the most vulnerable.
It’s a simple picture: young people laughing with babies, giving of their time, and choosing to show up. Yet beneath that picture lies something profound. When the youth of our country step into spaces of vulnerability, they are not just visiting. They are shaping South Africa’s future..
Beyond Band-Aids
It is easy to believe that giving a child a sweet treat, or dropping off a bag of clothes, is enough. But these gestures—beautiful as they are—must be the beginning, not the end. Poverty, abandonment, hunger, and inadequate healthcare are not problems to be patched up temporarily. They are wounds in our society that need healing at the root.
True change begins when the next generation understands that involvement in charity is not about charity at all—it’s about justice. It’s about asking, why are babies abandoned in the first place? Why do families face hunger? Why do children die from treatable illnesses? And then daring to believe they can be part of the solution.
When AHMP girls come to Daybreak House, they’re not just giving babies a fun morning. They are also learning to confront these deeper questions. They are growing into young leaders who will one day have the power to write policies, lead businesses, start initiatives, and influence culture.
The Power of Young People
No one has more power to reshape a nation than the youth. Why? Because they are not yet weighed down by cynicism. They dream boldly, act with urgency, and lead with passion.
Imagine if every school in Pretoria, in Gauteng, in South Africa, committed to a partnership with a place like Daybreak House. Thousands of students each year would see the reality of child abandonment. They would not just hear statistics—they would hold the tiny hands of children who deserve a family. Those experiences would stay with them, fueling careers in social work, medicine, law, politics, business, and education.
They would no longer talk about “the poor” or “orphans” as distant concepts. They would speak about names, faces, and stories they know. That shift—seeing people instead of problems—is what transforms nations.
Schools as Catalysts for Change
Schools shape not only academic ability but moral responsibility. Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria is setting an example: raising young women who understand that education is not only for self-advancement but also for societal transformation.
When schools partner with charities, they cultivate students who are not just well-informed, but well-formed—citizens who will not tolerate injustice, who will not accept inequality as “just the way it is,” who will refuse to let another generation grow up in brokenness.
This is not about putting bandages on symptoms. It is about training young people to heal systems. To one day be the lawyers who fight for better child protection laws, the doctors who serve in under-resourced hospitals, the entrepreneurs who create jobs, and the leaders who prioritize vulnerable children in national budgets.
An Invitation to Every School
To the teachers, principals, and parents reading this: let the example of AHMP inspire you. Don’t underestimate what happens when you lead your students into the spaces where South Africa is hurting.
And to the students: you are not too young to change the world. In fact, you may be exactly the ones to do it—because you are not afraid to ask, why not?
The future of this country will not be written in government offices alone. It will be written in the classrooms of today and lived out in the communities tomorrow.
So let us ask ourselves: what kind of future do we want? And what are we teaching our young people to do about it?
Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool Pretoria has answered. The challenge now is for others to follow.
If your school would like to partner with Daybreak House, reach out to us. Together, we can raise a generation who doesn’t just dream of a better South Africa—they build it.
