At 16, Themba could barely read and write. His family was poor and lived in the rural areas of Kwa-Zulu Natal. He went to school at the age of seven but in a class of 40 learners, nobody picked up that Themba had a learning problem.

He was labelled as being slow, and some of the children even called him stupid. Despondent and unwilling to believe in himself or his abilities, he left school. When his father died a few years later, Themba was forced to leave his home and go to Johannesburg in search of work.

Living with an uncle in Soweto, Themba battled to find work. He became despondent and looked at other ways of making a living. On the brink of turning to crime, Themba heard about Sparrow Schools and the vocational skills training programme. Themba came to Sparrow and was assessed and diagnosed as having a problem with identifying sounds. With the correct intervention, Themba was able to learn the basics of reading and writing within three months. He also found he had a flair for catering and chose this as a career path. On graduating Themba was able to find work in a restaurant where he underwent further training. Themba is now working as a chef at a four star hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg.