Earlier this year Prof Jonathan Jansen delivered a keynote address as guest speaker at the Rachel's Angels inaugural annual lecture at New Orleans Secondary School in Paarl. He was so inspired by the evening that he continued to write about the Trust and the programme in the weeks that followed. In the light of that we would like to highlight a truely inspiring article that Prof. Jansen wrote.

My South Africa

by Prof Jonathan Jansen.

My South Africa is the working-class man who called from the airport to return my wallet without a cent missing.

It is the white woman who put all three of her domestic worker's children through the school that her own child attended. It is the politician in one of our rural provinces, Mpumalanga, who returned his salary to the government as a statement that standing with the poor had to be more than words. It is the teacher who worked after school
hours every day during the strike to ensure her children did not miss out on learning during the public sector stay-away.

Johannes Christiaan “Chris” van der Walt or JC for short was born in Kempton Park, Gauteng to an Afrikaans father and a Chinese-Mauritian mother. His family is true testimony to the rainbow nation and have their origins from various nations throughout the world.

He attended Edenvale high school and is currently studying BComm (Financial accounting) at the University of Stellenbosch, where he is active in various student leadership and community organisatins. He uses his positions on the various committees to try and develop student life skills. He dreams of one day being in a position to help those who cannot help themselves out of economic and other forms of suffering.

Tristram Atkins is a socially conscious, passionate and talented filmmaker. He completed an Honours degree in Arts at AFDA, the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance. Over the past few years, he has worked on over 20 short films, specialising in writing, editing and producing. One of his best films to date, "Ongeriewe", was selected to compete in the Festival de Cannes Short Films in 2006. Since then it has gone on to compete at various international film festivals, including winning Best South African Short Film at the Durban International Film Festival in 2006. Tristam talks to us about community, self-esteem, mentorship, and his views on success.

Emo Adams is a South African actor, singer and producer best known for his collaborations with David Kramer and the late Taliep Pietersen, specifically his roles in the musicals District 6: The Musical and Kat & the Kings. He has branched with his own series on Kyknet, Jou show met Emo and a musical production Tall, dark and Afrikaans.

Born and raised in the heart of the Cape Flats, Mitchells Plein, Adams is the younger sibling of only two sons.

His childhood years were filled with the sound of harmonies and song, strongly influenced by his musically inclined father and the musical talent of his elder brother, fellow actor Luqmaan Adams.