A Mother’s Cry for Help , Hope and a Second Chance
A Mother’s Cry for Help, Hope, and a Second Chance
My name is Jenine, and I am a single mother. I have survived much in this life — through grace, faith, and nothing short of divine intervention. It is only by holding on to a Higher Power that I have come this far. And now, I humbly reach out, not with pride, but with hope — for my children and our future.
Each of us carries a story, and mine is filled with both pain and perseverance. I was raised in a home where domestic violence was normal. My mother was married six times, and I never knew my father. From a young age, I witnessed and experienced abuse that left deep emotional and physical scars. I now believe I walked that painful road so I could be the one to break this generational curse — to end the cycle of abuse that has haunted the women in my family for generations.
At 15, I met the father of my children. Three months into the relationship, he beat me for the first time. I was shocked, confused, and heartbroken. He apologized. He promised it would never happen again — but it did. For 21 years, I lived in a relationship where violence came in predictable cycles, every two weeks. I left. I went back. I believed him. I hoped. Until one day, God intervened. He left — for the first and final time.
We have two beautiful daughters. Though their father is present in name, he has never supported us. I have carried the full responsibility of raising them alone, with only my faith as my guide. It hasn’t been easy — being a single mother is one of the hardest journeys anyone can walk — but it has also been the most important one of my life.
Years after my separation, I met someone new. It felt like a miracle — my second chance at love, at happiness. For five years, I believed I had found something true and safe. But it was all a lie. He deceived me, manipulated me, and stole everything I had worked for. He left us homeless, with nothing. The only home we had ever known was taken away.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, my eldest daughter was accepted to Stellenbosch University to complete her honours degree in civil engineering. That acceptance became our hope. So, we packed our lives into bags and moved thousands of kilometres with no job, no home, no plan — just faith that somehow, it would all be worth it.
But life in Stellenbosch has not been what we dreamed.
A year ago, we were brutally attacked by five men. My daughter and I were beaten with an axe, robbed of all our belongings, and left more broken than ever before. I had to sell my car just to replace her laptop and phone so she could continue her studies.
Right now, I am homeless. I have no job. My daughters are staying with friends, while I search desperately for a way to rebuild. We are scattered, but not lost. I still have faith. I still believe in God’s mercy — and in the kindness of people who are sent by Him, without expecting anything in return.
I feel like I’ve failed my children. But I am still fighting for them. For us. For a future.
I am sharing my story in the hope that someone, somewhere, will hear us — and help us start again. I am seeking donations or any form of financial support that can help me:
- Find a safe place to live
- Reunite my family under one roof
- Begin looking for work and rebuilding our lives
If you are able to assist in any way — financially, through opportunities, or by sharing our story — I would be eternally grateful. I believe in second chances. I believe in people. I believe that no one survives alone — we are carried by grace, and sometimes, by each other.
Thank you for reading, and thank you for caring.
With faith and hope,
Jenine van Dyk