By Siphesihle Mkhwanazi
From a moment of inspiration from her Grade 11 English teacher Angi Jones discovered a lifelong calling to serve children in South Africa.
After graduating with her MEd (with distinction) in 2022, Jones is now a lecturer at Rhodes University’s Education Faculty, specialising in Primary and Early Childhood Education. She channels her passion into empowering young learners through transformative literacy and education initiatives.
Makhanda is rewriting its story, one book, one child, and one classroom at a time. Through partnerships with local NGOs like the Lebone Centre and the unstinting support of Rhodes University, a wave of educational transformation is sweeping across the community. Jones and many others with the same vision participate in nurturing young minds in early childhood to guide learners beyond matric.
Last year, she participated in a meaningful service-learning programme that partnered with the Lebone Centre to support early literacy and gross motor skill development in young learners. As part of this initiative, she worked directly with children at George Dickerson Primary School, focusing on playful yet purposeful activities.
“We believe that if gross motor skills are well developed, fine motor skills will follow,” she explained. Beyond classroom teaching, Angi and other participants engaged with the learners through games and physical activities, creating a space where children were empowered to grow, learn, and be themselves.
For Angi, the joy was in seeing children who were once shy or hesitant begin to open, move freely, and engage more actively in the classroom.
“The teachers were very thankful for the development; that was my reward. There is no money to be paid for changing lives,” she says. For her, it isn’t just an act of service, but a deeply personal journey of purpose.
She’s grateful for the opportunity to make a lasting impact, and even more so for the lessons she’s learned. You don’t need recognition or money to be kind, she says. Sometimes, the greatest reward is knowing you’ve helped someone grow.
Despite minimal funding and other constraints, it was in the rhythm of play that Angi witnessed the impact of early intervention and the magic that happens when education embraces the whole child.