Lezaan’s Story
Lezaan’s Story
29-year-old Lezaan grew up on Delheim Wine Estate, where she still lives today. As a baby, she attended the Early Childhood Development (ECD) centre on the farm and later joined the Pebbles Project After-School Club, beginning a lifelong journey with Pebbles Project that would shape her future in a profound way.
From a young age, Lezaan knew exactly what she wanted to be: “I’ve always dreamed of becoming a chef one day,” she shares with a smile. After finishing high school, she turned to the Pebbles Project social work team, who supported her in enrolling at Stellemploy in Stellenbosch to pursue a course in hospitality.
However, life had other plans for Lezaan. At 21, she became a mother. The birth of her daughter changed everything: “That’s when I realised that working as a chef might not be the best career for me,” she explains. “The hours are long, and I wouldn’t be able to spend time with my daughter in the evenings.”
Inspired by the love she felt for her little girl, Lezaan began to consider a new path, one that allowed her to work with children. She reached out to Pebbles Project to see how she could get involved, and before long, she was offered a position as a School Enrichment Programme (SEP) Practitioner at the Pebbles Project After-School Club on Delheim Wine Estate.
Lezaan finds deep fulfilment in her work: “I can truly say that I enjoy what I do. The most exhilarating feeling is when I get to help the children with their homework, and I can see that they leave the centre feeling more confident than when they arrived.”
Lezaan is deeply grateful to Pebbles Project for their support throughout her life. “Pebbles has had such a positive impact on my life,” she says. “I’ve learned so much through their training sessions, which have helped me grow not just professionally, but as a person. Even when I think back to my own time as a learner at the After-School Club, learning how to use a computer, for example, these are all valuable skills I still use today. Pebbles has helped me so much; they’ve taught me so much.”
Lezaan’s journey is a beautiful reflection of resilience, growth, and finding purpose through life’s unexpected turns. The Pebbles Project team is incredibly proud of all that she has achieved, and honoured to walk alongside her as she continues to inspire the next generation.
*This story captures a period in the beneficiary’s journey during their involvement with Pebbles Project and reflects their circumstances at the time it was written.