Story

My name is Samuel Ondiba, and this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever written, because asking for help is never easy. But I’m doing it for the children in my community—children who remind me so much of myself when I was growing up.

In the ghetto, kids learn how tough life is before they learn how to dream.
Some of them are fighting battles no child should ever face.
Others have talent burning inside them, but no place to express it.
A few are already slipping into the wrong path simply because there is nowhere safe for them to go.

And every day, I see them.
I see their potential.
I see their stories.
I see their hunger for guidance, for attention, for a chance.

That’s why I want to create a small film studio—a simple room with cameras, lights, a laptop, and a safe space where these kids can breathe, create, and be children again.

I want them to know their voices matter.
I want them to know their stories deserve to be told.
I want them to feel seen.

But I can’t do this alone. The equipment is expensive. The space needs setting up. And honestly, my heart is bigger than my pocket. So I’m swallowing my pride and asking for support.

Even the smallest contribution will help build a space where a child can stay off the streets, discover their talent, learn a skill, and maybe even change the direction of their whole life.

If you are able to help, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
If you can share this campaign, thank you just as much.
Everything counts. Everything helps.

These children deserve a chance.
I’m just trying to give it to them.

– Samuel Ondiba