Laurie connected with the girl learners at Silver Oaks and hoped her visit would imbue them with hope for the future: “It’s not where you come from but where you are going that matters,” she said. “You are more than your struggle and more than your tragedy. You can be and do anything if you believe in yourself.”

After finishing her matric, Laurie went on to complete a B.Com General Degree from the University of Johannesburg (Soweto Campus) and later pursued her modelling career fulltime  which ultimately led her to becoming Miss South Africa.

Laurie was joined by Girl Child alumnus, Mulalo Nekhumbe, who participated in the programme in 2003. Now an investment banker with Rand Merchant Bank, Nekhumbe’s story is what Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day is all about. After spending a day at Ernst & Young (EY) in 2003, Nekhumbe decided she wanted to become a chartered accountant. 

She went on to study BCom Accounting at Rhodes University and later completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting. “I strongly believe we don’t spend enough time reminding young girls how special, beautiful and smart they are,” she said. “If we can – for a day – restore a young girl’s faith in her dreams, humanity and her capabilities it will definitely be passed onto the future.”

Nekhumbe also tutors high school students from Soweto in her spare time, in passing on the values of the Girl Child programme: “I have a passion for people and my greatest goal is making sure that I make a difference in the lives of the girls I mentor.”

Laurie and Nekhumbe spoke to the learners at Silver Oaks about the importance of campaigns like Cell C Take a Girl Child to Work Day and the importance of giving back. 

Laurie has been working with a number of non-profit organisations (NPOs) like Babies Behind Bars and Pilgrim Oasis Community Children’s Outreach in Eldorado Park and Kliptown. She also has her own NPO – The Pearl Project which was launched in June 2014. “Its aim is to create a beacon of hope through motivational and educational workshops for young girls and is held at various schools in my community,” she said of her project.”

Thursday, 28 May will mark the 13th anniversary of Cell C’s Take a Girl Child to Work Day®. For more than a decade, the campaign has carved its name as a game changer by empowering girls to experience the work place at businesses and institutions throughout South Africa.

For more information on how corporates can register their participation, click here.