Henny Mintoor

Henny Mintoor is a young man with a tragic beginning in life. He joined the Born in Africa programme in 2005 as the godchild of Olympic gold medalist Tia Hellebaut.

As a child he was teased by his fellow pupils in class. It was very difficult for Henny to follow the academic curriculum as he has a severe learning disability. Although the schooling system could not cater for him, Born in Africa never gave up on Henny; we always viewed him as one of the team. When Henny turned 16, we searched for alternative education for him.

He always wanted to work with his hands and enjoyed the outdoors very much. We enrolled Henny in a chainsaw operating course where after an intense training he received his chainsaw operating license.

We recently bumped into Henny where he very proudly told us that he has found employment near his home and was really enjoying his job. His face lit up when he mentioned that now he is able to help his family. Well done Henny. We salute you!