Melidah Mokoana (25) has been adopted by the police as part of a programme to assist vulnerable people and is staying at Sibasa Training College under the care of the police. She has been admitted at a Thohoyandou high school.

The woman, who is from Sekhukhune and ran into problems after her mother died in 2000, has been in the victims support programme since 2004, after Police Commissioner Calvin Sengane took pity on her. She has been staying at different police stations around the province and was doing menial jobs to keep going.

The police also used her as an ambassador for vulnerable children in their campaigns to introduce vulnerable people back into the main stream. Recently, Melidah expressed her wish to go back to school, saying travelling from one police station to another won´t guarantee her a brighter future. Her wish was granted and the police sought admission for her at Hermain Technical High School in Thohoyandou.

The school, situated at the Thulamela show grounds next to the stadium, is known for helping destitute students realize their dreams. Mirror visited her at the school this week and she was busy doing her class work under the watchful eye of her principal. Melidah is in Grade 12 and is very positive she will make it at the end of the year. She said she hoped to follow a career which would enable her to work with vulnerable children.

"I am very thankful to the government and the school for giving people like me, who have had problems, a second chance and a new lease on life. My life is transforming for the better. I am grabbing the opportunity with both hands and my results will speak volumes at the end of the year," she said.

The principal of the school Hermain Nndanduleni said his school was happy to accept Melidah. "She came here late, but we decided to give her a chance to fulfill her dreams; we could not deny her the right to education and a brighter future," he said. "She is a very intelligent person who needs attention and she phones me even at home whenever she has a problem," he said.

Nndanduleni added that his school had admitted several learners who had been rejected by society and they were able to make it and some are now respectable members of the community, contributing positively to the development of the country. "We have become a home for many disadvantaged students who would otherwise have strayed to crime and other unbecoming behaviour," he said.

After learning of her situation from Mirror, Nndanduleni said Melidah would not pay school fees and she would identify a restaurant where she would enjoy meals every day and the school would pay for her. "We did not know her background. From now on, we will look after her wellbeing and we have adopted her as our child. This is part of our contribution and mandate to society and we will continue serving our communities," said Nndanduleni. He also commended the police for what they were doing, looking after vulnerable children. "If we all put our hands together, with the little we have, and give help where possible, there won´t be street kids and our country will be a better place to live in," he said.