Twenty-five children aged 14 to 18 from Abraham Kriel Children’s Home Nylstroom recently took part in the home’s first Survivor camp. The project was led by Charnel Oberholzer and was based on the American reality competition series Survivor.

The children were divided into two teams and had to build their own shelters with limited supplies, prepare food over open fires, and endure cold nights, rain and challenging conditions. The obstacles were designed and built by Patsy Joubert, house parent of Maroela House, and her husband, Johan.

Patsy says she initially thought she would simply be an observer, but soon found herself getting involved behind the scenes. “The participants surprised and impressed me with the way they handled these challenges,” she says. “They discovered that they are brave, capable and able to achieve far more than they had thought possible.”

Shemondre Southon says the experience felt very real. “It was just like Survivor on TV,” she says. “The nights were bitterly cold, and one night it rained. We had to put buckets under the leaks and try to keep the fire going.”

The camp included challenges, rewards and elimination rounds. Prizes such as sleeping bags, soft drinks, fruit, biscuits and a McDonald’s treat helped motivate the children to keep going when they were tired and emotions were running high. During a motivational session, Ivor Swartz also encouraged the participants to believe in themselves and never give up.

“You never knew whether you were going to be voted out,” Shemondre says. “Every morning, I told myself not to give up, but to believe in myself and trust that I could do it.”

Shemondre eventually emerged as the winner and walked away with R2 000. “This experience taught me the value of teamwork, trust and staying positive, no matter what. I survived!”

The Survivor camp taught the participants valuable lessons in discipline, independence, resilience and teamwork, and reminded them that they are stronger than they think.