The circus saved my life, says street kid
2013-01-23 11:53
Cape Town - A homeless boy from Cape Town is travelling around the world
after being trained as a circus performer, it was reported on Wednesday.
Phelelani Ndakrokra, 17, told the Daily Voice he was born in Greenmarket and
moved into a shelter run by the Zip Zap circus in 2010.
"The first time I walked into the circus tent I couldn't believe it.
There were people on those one-wheel bikes, jugglers and acrobats," he
said.
The teenager first learned simple tumbles and how to juggle.
He soon progressed to the "Second Chance" troupe and his education
was sponsored by a circus benefactor.
"This is the place [where] I belong. If I wasn't here, I'd be on the
streets robbing people and breaking into cars."
Ndakrokra had since performed on stages across Europe as a trained juggler
and acrobat.
The circus was founded in the early 1990s and has taken many children off
the streets.
Project manager Natasha Meyer told the newspaper it was a struggle to fund
its social outreach programmes.
"A third of our funding comes from performances, but we rely heavily on
donations because it's expensive to put on these shows."
- SAPA
