Life lessons from farming: “you don’t give up because a harvest fails, you keep going until something grows.”

My name is Sylvie and I am the founder of AssistArc Foundation. 

Roots in nature

When I am asked to tell my story, I often do not know where to begin or end; perhaps only a book could one day capture most of it, but let me start with some lessons from my childhood. 

Where I grew up, nature was everything to me. My mother was a farmer and so, from a young age, I learned to love the natural environment. Back then, we used our hands in traditional farming methods. The traditional way requires endurance, perseverance and hard work – you don’t give up because a harvest fails, you keep going until something grows. This way of thinking has stayed with me all my life. 

Growing up, each stage of my life was marked by numerous challenges. Yet, at every step, God provided a branch for me to stand on and leap toward the next level. I believe that my difficult experiences have shaped my character and personality.

When I got older, I trained to become an eco guard. We moved to different villages to protect the forests and parks from exploitation. It was dangerous work and long hours, but it continued to build my strength.

Discovering Psychology

During my training as an eco guard, I started reading a lot and was introduced to psychology. I found myself fascinated with human behaviour and how people interact and I decided to study psychology at a university in my home country. 

There are limited resources for psychology where I come from and many people are only able to further their careers abroad. I told myself, if I was ever to move to a different country, I would continue my studies in psychology and hopefully be able to practice it. That was my dream. 

Coming to South Africa

Something happened in my home country and I had to flee. I dreamt of finding what I called a small Mbengue – a place of peace and opportunities, but arriving in South Africa was a bit of a culture shock for me. The systems here are totally different and I found people to be more individualistic than what I am used to. I also only spoke French when I arrived.

When I applied to study my honours in psychology at the University of the Western Cape, I learnt that I had to re-do my final year and pass with at least 70%. Now remember, I did not speak English. So, I bought an English bible that I would read alongside my French bible. It took time to teach myself English, but I did it. 

Eventually, I passed my honours degree and my board exam with 84%.  I became a registered counsellor in South Africa and started working in NGOs, providing counselling, creating programmes and running groups – one of these NGOs was the Adonis Musati Project (AMP). During my time at AMP, I was the Counselling Centre Manager, where I played a pivotal role in developing the organisation’s Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Women Empowerment Programmes. With my expertise in programme development, participatory research, and coaching, I  have been able to deliver inclusive and impactful initiatives – helping women to build a sense of agency and leadership. Many of these women have now successfully pursued higher education, qualified as nurses, learnt English, completed home-based care training, launched small businesses, and have become advocates and role models in their communities. While at AMP I graduated with my Masters in Psychology. 

Founding AssistArc Foundation

Then came the lockdown. The time spent at home brought me into a space of reflection. Despite my degrees, I could not work, and I started questioning the value of my qualifications and experience during lockdown. I kept asking myself: What do I do? What is the purpose of my existence? Why am I not happy? 

People were struggling during the pandemic, I could see the despair everywhere. In prayer, I asked God to show me how I could help others. I started going out to the streets bringing bread and clothes, sitting with people, listening to their stories, and encouraging them – helping them to realise that positive change and life improvement could stem from their own decisions and actions.

That small beginning born from compassion, prayer, and resilience sowed the first seeds of what would later grow into the AssistArc Foundation. It started small, with the idea of creating a space where people could find support, connect, and learn skills to build resilience.

I knew from my own life that resilience is not just something you have – it’s something you can build. Now, at AssistArc, we focus on practical skills, but also on  psycho-social support and community engagement .  I understood that teaching people what I know – like crochet – will in return help them discover the skills that they have.  We want people to use their hands to create opportunities for themselves and others – to help them build independence and self-reliance by discovering what interests them and what abilities they have.

Building Resilience Through Skills

We run programmes like crochet, baking, computer literacy, digital health literacy and leadership training. Someone might come in feeling hopeless, and after a few weeks, they are baking banana bread they can sell or crocheting items they can use to earn an income. It’s about more than the skill, it’s about the confidence and a sense of purpose.

I also provide counseling, especially for people who have been through trauma. Many of them are people who are migrants or refugees, far from home, facing challenges that most South Africans don’t see. I support South Africans too, who are struggling with poverty or unemployment. 

I had a group of 11 underprivileged women who were refugees, who went through basic digital literacy training. Through this training I saw that, even though they had a low level of English, many  could  use their newly learnt  skill  to help themselves, for example in emails and CV typing . And they will go on to  share this information and their learnings. It is powerful to see them grow personally and contribute to their community. When you train one person, they go train another person. Seeing individuals gain skills, confidence, and create changes to inspire other people and bring people together is what motivates me to do this work. 

Breaking Down Barriers

In South Africa, xenophobia is real, but I believe that when people sit together, learn together, and share experiences, those barriers start to break down.

At AssistArc, you will see South Africans and people from other countries sitting side by side, crocheting, laughing, talking about their families. It is in those small moments that change begins and people realise we all have very similar experiences. That is how we fight xenophobia.

Looking to the Future

My dream is for AssistArc to grow, to become sustainable, and to continue reaching people who need it most. I want us to keep creating these spaces where resilience can be built, where opportunities can be shared, and where people, no matter where they come from, can feel like they belong.

I know the challenges are many. Funding is always difficult, sometimes it feels like the system is against us. But just like farming, just like studying, just like every other struggle I’ve faced, I will not give up. I believe in this work and I believe in people’s ability to grow, heal and build a future. 

 Sylvie’s story is one of four portraits celebrating the opportunities created by women’s resilience.