Help Send Themba to the Youth America Grand Prix in Barcelona

My name is Jenifer and I’m reaching out with an urgent and heartfelt appeal to help my niece, Sinethemba Wisani—known to everyone as Themba—make her dream come true.

At just 17, Themba has been selected to take part in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) semi-final in Barcelona, Spain in December 2025—the world’s largest international ballet competition. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be seen by scouts from top ballet companies and schools, including those in the UK, where she dreams of dancing professionally.

But to get there, she needs help.

We are raising funds to cover the cost of:

• Flights from Cape Town to Barcelona

• Entrance fees to the competition

• Accommodation and daily expenses

• Costumes and pointe shoes (which wear out quickly at her level of training)

Who Is Themba?

Themba’s story is nothing short of remarkable. In October 2008, at just six months old, she was abandoned on a refuse dump in Masiphumelele, a township outside Cape Town. Her birth mother, ill and unable to care for her, had left her in the care of a sister who was an alcoholic. Themba was found gravely ill with Kwashiorkor (severe malnutrition), with live worms coming from her mouth.

She was discovered by Sarah, my cousin, a woman who ran a small NGO called Thandafrika in the township. (Thandafrika means ‘Love Africa’. Sarah rushed her to Red Cross Children’s Hospital, where she was thankfully treated. At the time, Sarah herself was battling breast cancer—undergoing surgery and chemotherapy. But in the midst of her own illness, she became Themba’s legal guardian and has raised her ever since, along with her three biological children and two other abandoned children she later adopted.

The Ballet Dream

Themba started ballet at the age of 6 and showed exceptional talent from the very beginning. She is now in a full-time pre-professional ballet program at the Jacqui Pells School in Cape Town, where she trains rigorously every day. It is her passion, her purpose—and her safe space.

Themba doesn’t find it easy to open up or trust people. The trauma of being abandoned has left deep emotional scars. But on stage, she shines. It’s where she feels free, expressive, and alive.

In 2024, she won the Outstanding Solo Performance award at the prestigious TIME Competition, and in 2021, she placed third internationally in Contemporary Dance at the World Dance Competition in Italy.

And most recently she was scouted age 16 to dance in Cape Town City Ballet’s production of Coppelia.

Why We Need Your Help

Sarah is still working 11-hour days to support her three adopted children. Despite her tireless efforts and incredible devotion, she has reached the heartbreaking realisation that she can no longer fund Themba’s ballet future. Pointe shoes alone are expensive, and competitions, exams, and travel are a constant financial challenge.

Themba has no idea her future is at risk. We are trying to shield her from that pressure so she can focus on preparing for Barcelona. But the truth is—we need help to make it happen.

How You Can Help

Every donation, no matter how small, brings Themba closer to the opportunity she has worked so hard for. You’re not just supporting a trip to Barcelona—you’re investing in a story of resilience, talent, love, and hope.

Please watch the video to see how extraordinarily talented she is and help us get her to the world stage she so richly deserves.

With much gratitude

Jenifer

PS: amazingly and by complete coincidence, her name given at birth is Sinethemba which means, ‘We have hope’ ❤️