No stopping the Aquadene Angels

THEY may rush into danger and tap-dance on thin ice, but three Aquadene angels have faith that their mission will produce multiple miracles wherever their wings may take them.

Triple act Conelia Harry, Lynette Dunn and Shenelle van Niekerk believe divine appointment united them to recruit the new generation of Aquadene visionaries, trailblazers and game changers – starting with women and children.

The formidable trio will be spearheading the latest of four intensive upliftment projects in the wake of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, with a unique mentorship programme and talent showcase for the youth.

Conelia, a journalist at the Zululand Observer, says their strange and seemingly impossible journey started with a mission to solve a matric dress dilemma at the time of year when many young girls secretly cringe at the thought of the matric farewell.

Lynette, who almost missed her own farewell, posted a message on Facebook to rally support for young women who cannot afford a dress and shoes for the occasion.

With help from her friends she was able to go with glass slippers galore – unlike Shenelle, who missed the ball because no fairy godmother appeared with a magic wand.

Though she missed the golden carriage, Shenelle read the post and caught the bandwagon – vowing to pick up as many princesses as possible.

Connie, better known for her compassion than her fashion, says her heart was also touched by Lynette and Shenelle’s honesty and desire to help young women.

Beauty and worth
‘For me, it was not about the dress or the occasion as much as it was about crowning a young woman as a princess and showing her her beauty and worth.

The Matric Dress Project kicked off in August.

Before you could say ‘after party’, the women had a collection of over 100 beautiful ball gowns in all shapes, sizes and colours – with the compliments of many different donors.

They distributed anonymous tip-off boxes at three high schools and received a stack of heartfelt letters for help. Each was answered.

But, as they transformed the young women outwardly, it became evident that real beauty does come from the inside – and so they had some interior work to do.

‘Stilettos are not a solid foundation,’ says Connie pragmatically.

And so, the monthly two-hour workshop ‘Standing Strong’ for teenage girls and unwed mothers was launched as a platform for emotional support and advice on schoolwork, job opportunities, bursaries and other social and economic challenges.

‘We realised that many young girls have a deep-rooted lack of self-esteem and low self-confidence.

‘Our desire for them is to lose the mindset of hopelessness, to make them dream big and believe they can reach their career and life goals,’ says Connie.

‘As a community, we must invest personal time, energy and effort to uplift them and show them how unlimited their potential really is.

‘They don’t have to wait for someone to rescue or help them. They have precious gifts inside, which will take them higher.

‘Many have never been out of Richards Bay. Their deepest desire is to go to an ice rink or uShaka Marine World.
‘They desire small things which are actually easy to do – but for them it seems impossible.

‘We tell they are important, that they can make good decisions.’

Raising kings
And so, in the process of raising queens, the women realised they have forgotten the kings – and rolled out the red carpet with ‘Breaking all barriers’ – a youth leadership and mentoring programme for all future noblemen and warriors.

‘We start our new monthly project on Saturday by inviting Aquadene’s community trailblazers to share their stories and their journeys to success through their dark and hard times.

‘They will also mentor young people and encourage them to find other mentors who can help them navigate a new path out of despair and confusion, so they in turn can reach out a hand to others.

‘Our first speaker on Saturday is Roland Forbay, an excellent artisan, successful businessman, founder of a soccer youth academy, youth minister and community pillar.’

To put the cherry on the cake, the angels topped the tree with a Christmas box for the smallest and most precious of them all – the pint-sized ‘Aquies’.

‘Our Christmas Project will be held on 22 December at the Aquadene Community Hall and every child in Aquadene is invited.

‘We know the size of the project needs nothing but a miracle, but we know the King of kings, so we believe the royal sleigh will pull in fully stocked.’

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