As Good as Any Fairytale

Part 1: She was called "ugly". . .

"There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul

than the way in which it treats its children"

~ Nelson Mandela

These words ring loudly and painfully in places where society seems to have looked the other way – in places like South Africa.

South Africa is filled with homes where laughter is replaced by silence. Where love is often a luxury, and childhood feels like a burden. 

In communities where too many children grow up learning survival before spelling —girls like Lesego Seleke are often forgotten.

Lesego’s earliest memories aren’t of playdates or bedtime stories. Instead, she remembers nights alone, her mother lost to alcohol and the streets, and the soft cries of her little sister echoing through the cold house. 

At an age when she should have been playing with dolls, Lesego was worrying about milk for her baby sibling and food for herself —all while making sure she didn’t miss school.

Hoping for better, she moved in with her grandmother, but the ache of abandonment only grew louder there.

She felt unseen, unloved, and uncared for. 

Her home was not a refuge.

Home was a reminder that love, even within family, wasn’t guaranteed.

At school, the weight followed her. No friends. No hygiene. Hair unkempt. Her silence made her an easy target.

Bullies hurled words that carved deep — “You’re not pretty.”

She believed them. Sat with those words. Lived them. She was alone. Unloved. Unwanted.

But that wasn’t the end of her story. It was the beginning. Everything began to shift when Lesego started high school. One day during break, she saw something that stopped her in her tracks: 

A group of students laughing and talking openly with adults — teachers, she assumed.

But they weren’t being corrected.

They were simply… being seen. Being heard. Being cared for.

“I’ve never seen educators hang out with children before,” she thought, a strange warmth rising in her chest. It looked safe. It looked fun.

It looked like a place she could belong.

She didn’t know it yet, but the group she was watching was Courage Youth.

Mustering courage she didn’t know she had, Lesego walked up and said aloud: “I’ve never seen educators hang out with children before.” One of the adults smiled warmly and replied, “Yes, we’re all family here at Courage Youth — and you can be part of it too.”

Lesego didn’t know it yet, but this moment would mark the beginning of everything new.

---

Part 2: You'll LOVE how this ends

The adult Lesego saw on the playground — the one laughing and talking with students — wasn’t a teacher after all. She was a life coach from Courage Youth.Someone trained not just to educate, but to walk beside young people, hear their stories, and help rewrite them.

She explained what Courage Youth was about: 

A safe space. A family. A place of growth, purpose, and healing. 

Lesego was invited to join the Courage Youth Club — a space where young people didn’t just gain knowledge, but explored life together: identity, confidence, faith, love, and leadership.

That day was the turning point in Lesego’s life.

When Lesego entered the Courage Youth Club classroom for the first time, her eyes landed on a large white book titled “Life at the CrossRoads.” To her surprise, this wasn’t just a textbook — it was a mirror.

The pages were filled with real-life scenarios — things Lesego and her peers were living through every day.

For the first time, Lesego didn’t feel strange or invisible.

In the Courage Youth Club Classroom, she felt seen. Understood. Even a little hopeful.

Then came a moment that sealed it for her. Before the session began, the life coach invited everyone to bow their heads in prayer. Lesego’s eyes widened — not in fear this time, but in awe.

“They’re praying? This is a Christian organization?”

Her heart leapt. She whispered quietly to herself, “I belong here.”

Lesego grew in relationship with her life coaches — Amanda, Nomonde, and Alice — who lovingly described her as a sponge, quietly absorbing every word, every lesson, every prayer.

And slowly, Lesego began to bloom. 

She made friends, laughed freely, and for the first time, truly felt like a child again — loved, seen, and celebrated. 

This, my friend, is the power of love. The power of having female mentors and a community that feels like home.

It’s the power of Courage Youth — and it’s the power you’re behind through your giving.

Thank you for standing with us, and with girls like Lesego.

~ Story Written by Tshego and Danielle ~

Here are some pictures we didn't include with the original story! Below you can see Lesego grinning from ear to ear as she competes in a friendly beauty pageant at her school. She can be seen in the golden dress, #10, on the left of the group.