“We must give hope to the children!”

Singer Beatrice Egli supports the primary school iThemba in South Africa as celebrity godmother at this year’s RTL Donation Marathon

The children in the South African township “Capricorn” near Cape Town have never experienced such a day before: A blonde, radiant woman plays with them on the dusty street and pushes them laughing with a tricycle over stick and stone. Her good mood is contagious, the kids cheer and jump for joy. The mood is also exuberant when they play football together. The street kicker and temporary player is none other than the successful pop singer and presenter Beatrice Egli. The 31-year-old visits the African country as project sponsor of “RTL – Wir helfen Kindern”. “We want to give the children a better education. I am very happy to be here to help collect donations. Then a new school can be built here,” the Swiss explains. But during her days in the township, Beatrice Egli also experiences very emotional and sad moments. Among other things, she gets to know little Keanolita and her family. Under the poorest conditions, the six-year-old lives with her parents, grandparents and four siblings in a small hut. “Nine people share a ten-square-meter room and sleep on the floor. I myself shared a room with three siblings, but we had bunk beds and each had his own blanket to cuddle up in. To see this here brings me once more into reality: It is not natural to grow up the way I was allowed to. It is not natural to go to kindergarten or school. Keanolita’s mother Cindy will never be able to send her little daughter to school without help. But she doesn’t wish for anything more. That tears my heart apart,” Beatrice Egli reports, moved by what she learned from Cindy washing laundry together. “The school not only provides education, but also keeps the children from getting into drug gangs on the street or being exposed to violence there. We must bring the children to school and give them hope!”

At the RTL Donation Marathon on 21 and 22 November, Beatrice Egli will report live in the studio of Wolfram Kons on her trip to South Africa, her experiences with the children and call on viewers to donate. “The time in South Africa has changed me. It has made me more sensitive and attentive to what the world has to offer and that not everyone is doing so well. Everyone has the right to go to school, to have a bed and to grow up without violence and drugs – but in reality it’s not like that. This motivates me to do more, to become louder and to use my voice more to help children. They can also help these township children to go to school! Please donate! Let us help together”, Beatrice Egli appeals. With the money raised, “RTL – Wir helfen Kindern” together with its cooperation partners help alliance and Mastercard will expand the existing iThemba School Capricorn by a further building complex with 13 classrooms and two sanitary facilities. From the new building, a further 140 children are to be given the chance for a better future as quickly as possible through a good school education.

See here the visit of Beatrice Egli in the township Capricorn in TV format “Prominent” (German only): https://bit.ly/368lMZP