LISTEN: Fikile Cele - "I was abandoned in a box but I am using for good..."
Fikile Cele shared her story about being abandoned in a box and now she is back to share more...
When we saw Fikile 'Angel' Cele's story we got in touch with her and found that she was such a strong young woman.
She shared her story, a personal story that many people would find difficult sharing for obvious reasons. But she boldly took it on as a way of healing, a way of moving forward, and entering the Miss South Africa pageant.
Her story got the attention of many people and it was a clear example of the reality of what happens in South Africa and in other places around the world.
We recently got in touch with her and she shared something so empowering when it comes to her story. She said that after sharing her story she was approached by Baby Savers South Africa to be their ambassador.
She shared her story with us.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your story for those that don't already know.
My name is Fikile Cele, a 22-year-old female from Chatsworth, Durban and a former Miss South Africa hopeful.
I decided to use this opportunity to share my story of how I was abandoned in a box outside a factory in Chatsworth, Silverglen. I am now a proud Ambassador of Baby Savers South Africa. Being adopted by Indian parents and having the surname Cele allowed me to show South Africa what diversity is about. I believe that I am the true example of a rainbow nation.
How did you and Baby Savers South Africa come to be?
After sharing my story, 'Abandoned in a Box', Baby Savers South Africa approached me and asked me to be their ambassador. This is all still very new and I am so excited to be their ambassador because it is a platform and an audience I can relate to and advocate for the change I want to see. Baby Savers SA is a coalition of organisations that provide a safe alternative to unsafe abandonment through the use of a Baby Saver.
We asked her to share the importance of being the ambassador of something that can be considered a sensitive topic in lots of communities. With that, she also touched on being a voice for babies as they are the ones without a voice, in addition she shared how integral it is to provide a platform for parents that feel overwhelmed...
Michael Jackson said: "we are the world and we are the children. I say: " Without the children there is no world".
As a baby, I was crippled on the entire left side of my body, I was not drinking any milk or taking out the little what I had and that resulted in me having surgery whereby I have a plastic bag for a stomach sine the age of two months. Being in such a condition, I had tubes connected to my head which restricts the growth of my hair. But I'm proof that God does heal and his plans are better than ours and in the blink of an eye, everything can change.
LISTEN to the rest of what she had to say below:
To support her cause you can get in touch with Baby Savers South Africa here: Contact – BSSA (babysaverssa.co.za)
Image Courtesy of Fikile Cele