Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls
Encyclopedia
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls - South Africa is a girls-only boarding school
that officially opened in January 2007 in Henley on Klip
near Meyerton
, south of Johannesburg
, South Africa
. Inspired by her own "humble beginnings"
and disadvantaged background, Oprah Winfrey
stated that she founded the Leadership Academy to provide educational and leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls from impoverished backgrounds in South Africa who exhibited leadership qualities for making a difference in the world. The current headmistress is Mrs Anne Van Zyl
who has been at the academy since 2010 and has had a history as a pioneer and agent of change in girls education.
and toiled on the different building site and places
ribbons for local distribution.
"The spinach and carrots and fruit they planted will all grow to sustain the food programme," explained Maduka.
According to Maduka, one of the kids approached a girl from the academy and said: “One day I want to be just like you. I want to know what you know and do what you do'”. Maduka said this was “really special considering that some of our girls are orphans themselves.”
Maduka praised the mural the girls painted, saying "it was a brilliant project because it looked really professional with flowers and toucan birds - and a lot of the people who can't even go outside anymore get to see it."
Dean of Students at the Academy, Funa Maduka said: "This is a great moment for the Academy because our young leaders are going to be giving leadership training to a hundred teens from around Gauteng and surrounding provinces. We have partnered up with Love Life to help identify 100 kids who they think are most in need and are most likely to benefit from a leadership course".
Students from the academy were trained by Love Life about HIV/Aids prevention, making decisions, and goal setting.
"In my group we tell them how HIV gets into your body, how it damages, how to prevent it and so on," explained Grade 9 student, Mpho.
"Everybody knows what HIV is, but I just want the youth to pay attention. If they pay attention then they’ll be more inclined to make better choices," she explained.
14-year-old Thobeka said she learnt a lot from the Decision-Making sessions, explaining:
"Things I never considered before such as ’what would I do if I had a friend who was anorexic’. When you’ve faced with those situations you need to really dig deeper into yourself so that you don’t make decisions that you’ll regret at the end."
Maduka explained that’s what’s really powerful about it is that sometimes the best way to reach a teen is through another teen, adding: "This is to show our girls that you can be a leader today. You can be a powerful voice to your peers."
R ’n B performer Keri Hilson
showed up to observe the events stating:"It’s just about making the right decisions. It’s about knowing your worth and knowing that you can wait for marriage and that peer pressure should not be a factor in making you act upon certain things."
"I am moved by the stories," Winfrey said to The Associated Press. "When you think about these little girls three years ago carrying buckets of water on their heads and living with no running water. Now they are talking about going to Harvard and winning a Nobel Peace Prize.
"I am moved by the fact that I have a vision for them and it now feels like they have embodied that vision for themselves. They are living the dream," she added.
British actress Thandie Newton
came to the school to give the girls acting lessons and art and design lessons were provided by Greg Lauren, nephew of American fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
Also included in the art festival were dance classes, photography workshops, and cooking sessions with Winfrey's former personal chef, Art Smith.
Newton praised the talent and enthusiasm of the girls saying "Their tenacity, their enthusiasm, their ability has just surpassed all of my expectations, I have had an amazing time," she said.
Also included in the week's festivities were rap classes with a popular South African musician and lessons about the art of storytelling from the legendary African storyteller Gcina Mhlope.
The girls inspired cheers from the audience when they donned Wellington boots for a raucous performance of gumboot dancing. Gumboot dancing is a form of dance made popular by workers at South Africa's many mines where performers rhythmically slap and stamp their feet
For 2009 the festival’s theme was about creating environmental awareness through recyclable art. The girls created radios made from recycled wire, graceful vases from recycled paper and brightly colored flowers made out of discarded plastic bottles.
During the festival the girls behaved in a united, sisterly way, walking arm-in-arm or competing to be near Winfrey who they call "Mam Oprah". The media described the girls as articulate, eloquent and very confident, showing signs that they were handpicked by Winfrey herself.
"It's been great to be here," explained 14-year-old Tshepiso (the school requested that the girls be identified by their first names only). "I feel like I have a great opportunity to achieve my dreams. I feel very proud to be here."
and Sudan
. The two students won representation for South Africa in an essay-writing contest.
“We had to write an essay about women issues in South Africa. I was ecstatic when I was told that my essay was chosen,” explained 16-year-old Debra who wrote about teen pregnancy, gender inequality and domestic violence.
The two students agreed that highlights of their trip to the U.S. were meeting rapper Jay-Z
and watching the musical Wicked
on Broadway
.
Winfrey defended her decision to establish the Leadership Academy in South Africa by offering the following observation:
She also continued by offering her view of the difference between the United States
and South Africa in terms of their educational systems and the outlooks of children in those systems:
Rebecca Traister of Salon.com
argued that the criticism Winfrey received for daring to build a private school in Africa was predictable:
Karen Russell of The Huffington Post
also came to Winfrey’s defense:
Russell then cited the success of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first female President who restored Liberia
’s electricity, as an example of what can happen when the best and brightest girls in Africa are given a world class education. She praised Winfrey for sending the message that blacks and women have value by building a world class school for girls in sub-Saharan Africa.
Other criticisms that Winfrey received about the Leadership Academy included the racial makeup of students, with the majority of students selected and accepted as candidates for the school being black. Winfrey deflected this criticism by saying that the "school is open to all girls who are disadvantaged. All girls, all races, who are disadvantaged ... [including] White, Indian and Native American students of varying faiths," as long as eligibility requirements were met. Many of girls chosen for the Leadership Academy come from families affected by HIV/AIDS.
In spite of the criticism, Winfrey's offered that her vision for the Leadership Academy was to provide a vehicle for mentoring academically talented and disadvantaged girls with "that 'It' quality" to provide them with opportunities to "change the face of a nation," make a difference in the world and to become future leaders of South Africa. As for rationale of the lavishness of the school, Winfrey continued by saying that "[i]f you are surrounded by beautiful things and wonderful teachers who inspire you, that beauty brings out the beauty in you." To change how women are viewed, Winfrey added during an interview, one must look for an opportunity "'to change the paradigm, to change the way not only these girls think ... but to also change the way a culture feels about what women can do.' 'Girls who are educated are less likely to get HIV/AIDS and in this country which has such a pandemic, we have to begin to change the pandemic.'"
John Samuels, the executive head of the school responded to the complaints;
and sexually
abusing students. Winfrey flew to South Africa to meet with school officials and parents on October 12. Winfrey was quoted as saying:
According to the Afrikaans
-language newspaper Rapport, the "dorm matron" allegedly grabbed a student by the throat and threw her against a wall. The unidentified woman is also alleged to have screamed at and assaulted her wards, as well as fondled at least one girl. The staffer has been put on probation pending an investigation.
On November 1, 2007, Police Superintendent Lunge Dlamini announced that the 27 year old dorm matron had been arrested after seven students submitted statements alleging assault and various abuse
at the hands of the employee.
Dlamini stated;
Winfrey reportedly provided each girl with a cell phone programmed with her personal phone number. In a statement she said;
The Times, a Johannesburg newspaper, said the incident was unsurprising given that South Africa has some of the highest rates of child rape in the world, and praised Winfrey for dealing aggressively with the problem.
Merlene Davis of the Lexington-Herald Leader also praised Winfrey’s response to the crisis:
Rachel Jewkes, a specialist on sexual violence with South Africa's Medical Research Council, praised Winfrey’s response as “phenomenal”, because it sent such a powerful message in a country afflicted with record high levels of sexual abuse:
On March 23, 2010, the Associated Press reported that Winfrey settled the defamation lawsuit filed by one of the headmistresses at the Academy before the trial began.
, who called Winfrey his hero because she understood that South Africa's gains in democracy would be nullified unless future generations were educated. He was quoted in Time magazine as saying:
when he featured it in his book Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World
as an example of how to give back to the world. Clinton predicted that the school would change the lives of many young women and interviewed Winfrey to find out why she decided to build the school. Winfrey explained that caring teachers "made education an open door" for her and that she wanted to help girls who grew up like her, "economically disadvantaged, but not poor in mind or spirit".
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
that officially opened in January 2007 in Henley on Klip
Henley on Klip
Henley on Klip is situated next to the R59 between Johannesburg and Vereeniging.The village was founded in 1905, by Advocate Horace Kent. Born in 1855 in Henley on Thames, England, Kent came to South Africa in 1898. The area where Henley on Klip is located, reminded Kent of his hometown, in...
near Meyerton
Meyerton, Gauteng
Meyerton is a small town lying 15 km north of Vereeniging in Gauteng, South Africa. Situated in the local municipality of Midvaal and the district municipality of Sedibeng.-History:...
, south of Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. Inspired by her own "humble beginnings"
and disadvantaged background, Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
stated that she founded the Leadership Academy to provide educational and leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls from impoverished backgrounds in South Africa who exhibited leadership qualities for making a difference in the world. The current headmistress is Mrs Anne Van Zyl
Anne Van Zyl
Anne Van Zyl is a South African education administrator from Cape Town, South Africa. She is currently the headmistress of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. She has also been headmistress at five different schools including Pretoria High School for Girls, St. Stithians College, and...
who has been at the academy since 2010 and has had a history as a pioneer and agent of change in girls education.
Giving back to the community
One of the Academy’s goals is to create leaders who will give back to the community, and the campaign to encourage this form of leadership has been dubbed OWLAGive which has young people between the ages of 14 and 16 devote 3000 hours for community outreach programmes. The students have been to most provinces to learn more about environmental awareness, social issues and housing projects. Dr. Anna Karola, Head o7uj46j4u6jk4f the Academy, explained the importance of the campaign, saying "service is central to the mission of the Academy. As leaders of tomorrow, the girls are encouraged to make service part of their everyday activities...by involving our students in OWLAGive, we will be creating an awareness of the great needs existing in South Africa, helping them identify issues and vulnerable groups and underlying the need for all to be involved in creating a better future." "The programme has always been part of the school's curriculum and is in line with Winfrey's vision of what these girls will eventually mean to South Africa," explained Funa Maduka who heads the academy's leadership development programme.Building houses
In the fall of 2010, 225 of the Academy's students partnered with the non-profit organization Habitat for Humanity to build 11 low-cost houses over two days for disadvantaged families in Orange Farm, south of Johannesburg. The girls mixed cement, laid bricksand toiled on the different building site and places
Raising breast cancer awareness
In the fall of 2008, a number of the girls linked with Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe to visit a breast cancer hospice. The visit was described as such a wake-up call for the girls who knew little about the illness, that they decided to make 500 pink breast cancer awarenessBreast cancer awareness
Breast cancer awareness is an effort to raise awareness of breast cancer and reduce the disease's stigma by educating people about its symptoms and treatment options...
ribbons for local distribution.
Growing food
In the fall of 2008, the girls visited the Miss Earth SA Foundation to learn about bulbs and seeds before going on to plant trees and a vegetable garden at the Mambo Primary School where the students receive three meals a day from a feeding scheme run by the school."The spinach and carrots and fruit they planted will all grow to sustain the food programme," explained Maduka.
Visiting orphans
In the fall of 2008, the girls went to Dennilton in Limpopo, where they visited a small orphanage where a playground featured on the wish list of the 100 children in her care according to head Cynthia Nkosi. The girls assembled playground equipment on the premises, painted it brightly and planted a garden.According to Maduka, one of the kids approached a girl from the academy and said: “One day I want to be just like you. I want to know what you know and do what you do'”. Maduka said this was “really special considering that some of our girls are orphans themselves.”
Visiting the elderly
In the fall of 2008, the girls visited the Soweto Home of the Aged, where the girls gave manicures to the Gogos (Gogo is a lovingly respectful pet name in South Africa for the elderly), played monopoly and cards with them, and then painted a garden mural on the dining room wall.Maduka praised the mural the girls painted, saying "it was a brilliant project because it looked really professional with flowers and toucan birds - and a lot of the people who can't even go outside anymore get to see it."
HIV/AIDS leadership
In October 2009, the Academy invited 100 students from 30 schools around South Africa in an attempt to spread positive living principles and lessons on HIV/Aids prevention and leadership training. The sessions were held in highly equipped science labs.Dean of Students at the Academy, Funa Maduka said: "This is a great moment for the Academy because our young leaders are going to be giving leadership training to a hundred teens from around Gauteng and surrounding provinces. We have partnered up with Love Life to help identify 100 kids who they think are most in need and are most likely to benefit from a leadership course".
Students from the academy were trained by Love Life about HIV/Aids prevention, making decisions, and goal setting.
"In my group we tell them how HIV gets into your body, how it damages, how to prevent it and so on," explained Grade 9 student, Mpho.
"Everybody knows what HIV is, but I just want the youth to pay attention. If they pay attention then they’ll be more inclined to make better choices," she explained.
14-year-old Thobeka said she learnt a lot from the Decision-Making sessions, explaining:
"Things I never considered before such as ’what would I do if I had a friend who was anorexic’. When you’ve faced with those situations you need to really dig deeper into yourself so that you don’t make decisions that you’ll regret at the end."
Maduka explained that’s what’s really powerful about it is that sometimes the best way to reach a teen is through another teen, adding: "This is to show our girls that you can be a leader today. You can be a powerful voice to your peers."
R ’n B performer Keri Hilson
Keri Hilson
Keri Lynn Hilson is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Hilson began her music career as a songwriter, penning tracks for several artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production and songwriting team, The Clutch...
showed up to observe the events stating:"It’s just about making the right decisions. It’s about knowing your worth and knowing that you can wait for marriage and that peer pressure should not be a factor in making you act upon certain things."
Art festival
In June 2009 an art festival was held at the school. Included was performance art in the school’s state of the art theatre where Winfrey sat in the front row tapping her foot to musical items and embracing one of the young girls who recited an essay she wrote about her broken poverty-stricken family and her desire to win a Nobel Peace Prize."I am moved by the stories," Winfrey said to The Associated Press. "When you think about these little girls three years ago carrying buckets of water on their heads and living with no running water. Now they are talking about going to Harvard and winning a Nobel Peace Prize.
"I am moved by the fact that I have a vision for them and it now feels like they have embodied that vision for themselves. They are living the dream," she added.
British actress Thandie Newton
Thandie Newton
Thandiwe Nashita "Thandie" Newton is a British actress. She has appeared in a number of British and American films, including The Pursuit of Happyness, Mission: Impossible II, Crash, Run, Fatboy, Run and W....
came to the school to give the girls acting lessons and art and design lessons were provided by Greg Lauren, nephew of American fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
Also included in the art festival were dance classes, photography workshops, and cooking sessions with Winfrey's former personal chef, Art Smith.
Newton praised the talent and enthusiasm of the girls saying "Their tenacity, their enthusiasm, their ability has just surpassed all of my expectations, I have had an amazing time," she said.
Also included in the week's festivities were rap classes with a popular South African musician and lessons about the art of storytelling from the legendary African storyteller Gcina Mhlope.
The girls inspired cheers from the audience when they donned Wellington boots for a raucous performance of gumboot dancing. Gumboot dancing is a form of dance made popular by workers at South Africa's many mines where performers rhythmically slap and stamp their feet
For 2009 the festival’s theme was about creating environmental awareness through recyclable art. The girls created radios made from recycled wire, graceful vases from recycled paper and brightly colored flowers made out of discarded plastic bottles.
During the festival the girls behaved in a united, sisterly way, walking arm-in-arm or competing to be near Winfrey who they call "Mam Oprah". The media described the girls as articulate, eloquent and very confident, showing signs that they were handpicked by Winfrey herself.
"It's been great to be here," explained 14-year-old Tshepiso (the school requested that the girls be identified by their first names only). "I feel like I have a great opportunity to achieve my dreams. I feel very proud to be here."
Representing South Africa
In August 2009, two of the students from the school, Debra and Marwiya, were selected to represent South Africa in the Women2Women America International Leadership Conference in Boston U.S.. Only 88 students from around the world were chosen to attend the event, and only 44 countries were represented. South Africa was one of only three Sub-Saharan African countries that won representation at the conference, with the other two being UgandaUganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
. The two students won representation for South Africa in an essay-writing contest.
“We had to write an essay about women issues in South Africa. I was ecstatic when I was told that my essay was chosen,” explained 16-year-old Debra who wrote about teen pregnancy, gender inequality and domestic violence.
The two students agreed that highlights of their trip to the U.S. were meeting rapper Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and watching the musical Wicked
Wicked (musical)
Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
.
Criticisms and controversies
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Leadership Academy, Winfrey received much criticism surrounding the "extravagance" of the school, with mention, among other things, about the need for high thread-count sheets for the dormitory beds, a beauty salon, two theaters (one indoor, one outdoor) and a yoga classroom to educate girls in an impoverished region of South Africa. In an article about the school's unveiling, Allison Samuels of Newsweek questioned whether the $40 million spent might have benefited a far greater number of students had the money been spent with less emphasis on luxurious surroundings and more emphasis on practicality.Winfrey defended her decision to establish the Leadership Academy in South Africa by offering the following observation:
I think the reason not just Africa but the world is in the state that it is is because of a lack of leadership on all levels of government ... and particularly in regard to schools and schooling for poor children. ... The best way to effect change long term is to ... give children exposure and opportunity and nurture them to understand their own power and possibility.
She also continued by offering her view of the difference between the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and South Africa in terms of their educational systems and the outlooks of children in those systems:
Say what you will about the American educational system — it does work. ... If you are a child in the United States, you can get an education. ... I became so frustrated with visiting inner-city schools that I just stopped going. The sense that you need to learn just isn't there. ... If you ask the kids what they want or need, they will say an iPodIPodiPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, sneakers, or some money. In South Africa, they don't ask for money or toys. They ask for uniforms so they can go to school.
Rebecca Traister of Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
argued that the criticism Winfrey received for daring to build a private school in Africa was predictable:
Winfrey might have known that news of her students' swank surroundings might not wash with American critics, who don't bat an eye at white hotel heiresses dancing on banquettes, or reality shows about sweet-16 parties at budgets that could build a home for a KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
victim. But impoverished black girls sleeping on nice-ish sheets? That didn't go over so well. The affronted sense that these girls deserved only bare-minimum accommodations and that a private citizen's money should have been used to educating them in bulk rather than in gracious individual style reflects our own beliefs that the bare minimum is all poor (black) girls need.
Karen Russell of The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
also came to Winfrey’s defense:
Critics say the school is too lavish for such an impoverished country. How dare Oprah have the audacity to spoil these Black African girls?! Why are so many quick to question if these girls deserve the best education Oprah's money has to offer? ... Oprah will get a lot of bang for her buck by educating poor Black girls in Africa. She realizes that educating South African girls must be a priority to help turn the tide in sub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaSub-Saharan Africa as a geographical term refers to the area of the African continent which lies south of the Sahara. A political definition of Sub-Saharan Africa, instead, covers all African countries which are fully or partially located south of the Sahara...
…where an education is quite rare, and birth rates for uneducated girls are so high, a little education could make a dramatic difference.
Russell then cited the success of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first female President who restored Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
’s electricity, as an example of what can happen when the best and brightest girls in Africa are given a world class education. She praised Winfrey for sending the message that blacks and women have value by building a world class school for girls in sub-Saharan Africa.
Other criticisms that Winfrey received about the Leadership Academy included the racial makeup of students, with the majority of students selected and accepted as candidates for the school being black. Winfrey deflected this criticism by saying that the "school is open to all girls who are disadvantaged. All girls, all races, who are disadvantaged ... [including] White, Indian and Native American students of varying faiths," as long as eligibility requirements were met. Many of girls chosen for the Leadership Academy come from families affected by HIV/AIDS.
In spite of the criticism, Winfrey's offered that her vision for the Leadership Academy was to provide a vehicle for mentoring academically talented and disadvantaged girls with "that 'It' quality" to provide them with opportunities to "change the face of a nation," make a difference in the world and to become future leaders of South Africa. As for rationale of the lavishness of the school, Winfrey continued by saying that "[i]f you are surrounded by beautiful things and wonderful teachers who inspire you, that beauty brings out the beauty in you." To change how women are viewed, Winfrey added during an interview, one must look for an opportunity "'to change the paradigm, to change the way not only these girls think ... but to also change the way a culture feels about what women can do.' 'Girls who are educated are less likely to get HIV/AIDS and in this country which has such a pandemic, we have to begin to change the pandemic.'"
Visiting rules controversy
In March 2007, some parents complained because they were only allowed to visit their children once a month and the girls were only allowed to use their cell phones on weekends.John Samuels, the executive head of the school responded to the complaints;
We have the security and well-being of the girls at heart, in every respect. They are our priority. If there's too much movement on the premises at the weekend, it disturbs the school spirit.
Alleged physical and sexual abuse
In October 2007, a female school staffer was accused of physicallyPhysical abuse
Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...
and sexually
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
abusing students. Winfrey flew to South Africa to meet with school officials and parents on October 12. Winfrey was quoted as saying:
Nothing is more serious or devastating to me than an allegation of misconduct by an adult against any girl at the academy,
According to the Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
-language newspaper Rapport, the "dorm matron" allegedly grabbed a student by the throat and threw her against a wall. The unidentified woman is also alleged to have screamed at and assaulted her wards, as well as fondled at least one girl. The staffer has been put on probation pending an investigation.
On November 1, 2007, Police Superintendent Lunge Dlamini announced that the 27 year old dorm matron had been arrested after seven students submitted statements alleging assault and various abuse
Abuse
Abuse is the improper usage or treatment for a bad purpose, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, sexual assault, violation, rape, unjust practices; wrongful practice or custom; offense; crime, or otherwise...
at the hands of the employee.
Dlamini stated;
Several charges including alleged assault, indecent assault, criminal injury and soliciting underage girls to perform indecent acts are being investigated against her
Winfrey reportedly provided each girl with a cell phone programmed with her personal phone number. In a statement she said;
It is my deepest hope that the accused is brought to justice and that this serves as a reminder that any time a child has the courage to step forward, it is our duty as adults to listen and take immediate action.
The Times, a Johannesburg newspaper, said the incident was unsurprising given that South Africa has some of the highest rates of child rape in the world, and praised Winfrey for dealing aggressively with the problem.
Merlene Davis of the Lexington-Herald Leader also praised Winfrey’s response to the crisis:
But I so admire how Winfrey handled the mess after she heard about it. She pulled no punches, revealed all the ugliness and promised the parents of those girls to do a much better job… The good coming out of this, however, is that those girls, who all have come from extreme poverty, have some idea of what a powerful woman looks like and what she stands for. So do those who no longer work at the academy.
Rachel Jewkes, a specialist on sexual violence with South Africa's Medical Research Council, praised Winfrey’s response as “phenomenal”, because it sent such a powerful message in a country afflicted with record high levels of sexual abuse:
I think the message that is sent by this, that [sexual abuse] is utterly unacceptable, is a really powerful one. We never get a message that's so unequivocal about how these acts should be judged. Wouldn't it be wonderful if these acts would always be taken so seriously?
On March 23, 2010, the Associated Press reported that Winfrey settled the defamation lawsuit filed by one of the headmistresses at the Academy before the trial began.
Praise
There have also been reports of praise for the school. According to Masechaba Hine, whose daughter and granddaughter both attend the school, her children "have no problems about the school, they are happy about everything." Hine has been so pleased with the experience that she even praised Winfrey personally, saying, "Oprah is an angel, she is God-sent…She came to my rescue when my husband was not working."Praise from Nelson Mandela
One of the academy's most vocal fans has been Nelson MandelaNelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
, who called Winfrey his hero because she understood that South Africa's gains in democracy would be nullified unless future generations were educated. He was quoted in Time magazine as saying:
The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls—located near Johannesburg and educating girls in Grades 7 through 12—is therefore a wonderfully appropriate gift to the people of South Africa, one that will endure over many lifetimes. When I went to the opening of her school, I looked at the shining faces of these young women and thought every one of them has the potential to be an Oprah Winfrey. The school is important because it will change the trajectory of these girls' lives and it will brighten the future of all women in South Africa. Oprah understands that in Africa, women and girls have often been doubly disadvantaged. They have had the curse of low expectations and unequal opportunities.
Praise from Bill Clinton
The academy was honored by Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
when he featured it in his book Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World
Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World
Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World is a 2007 book by former United States President Bill Clinton. It was published by Knopf in September 2007. With an initial print run of 750,000 copies, it debuted at the top of the New York Times Best Seller list in its first week. It was announced that...
as an example of how to give back to the world. Clinton predicted that the school would change the lives of many young women and interviewed Winfrey to find out why she decided to build the school. Winfrey explained that caring teachers "made education an open door" for her and that she wanted to help girls who grew up like her, "economically disadvantaged, but not poor in mind or spirit".
External links
- "Educate a Woman, You Educate a Nation" - South Africa Aims to Improve its Education for Girls WNN - Women News Network. Aug. 28, 2007. Lys Anzia
- Press release: Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela and South Africa's Ministry of Education break ground for the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls – South Africa. (2002, December 6). The Oprah Winfrey Foundation. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
- Sakoana, T. (2006, August 21. Oprah's African dream realised. International Marketing Council of South Africa (IMC). Retrieved January 10, 2007.