Akhona, a young troubled youth from a local township had dropped out of school due to substance abuse. He then realised that he need to turn his life around. He was heading down a road of self-destruction. He applied to the Gem school and begged for help. He wanted to be selected as a Gem school. He was given a probationary period to prove to us that he could become drug-free. During the first few months at the Gem School, he battled to perform academically due to his drug addiction, which he was trying to overcome. He then made a conscious choice to free himself of drugs and began his journey of drug recovery with support of the Gem Project team. By February 2016, he was drug-free through his own free will and commitment and with the Gem Project fully supporting him during his recovery process. For the 1st time he realised his self-worth and successfully completed the Gem schooling programme. As an exemplary and respectful learner, he received various Gem awards, including the student reward of the month, achieved school prefect status and was nominated as Captain of the Gem School Soccer Club. He also through his learning and training at the Gem Project got an opportunity for casual employment at a local franchisee restaurant. During the school holidays Akhona worked at the restaurant as a grill-hand and knew that cooking is his passion. He enjoyed preparing meals. After his graduation in 2017 from the Gem Adult and Education Training Programme, Akhona was supported by the Gem Project to further his skills training and completed an Assistant Chef Course. On obtaining his certification as an Assistant Chef, Akhona was offered a chef position outside of Port Elizabeth. At the end of 2018, he then returned to Port Elizabeth and has since been actively involved with the Gem Project. Akhona aspires to have his own “kitchen’ one day and is building up the required experience working alongside a professional chef who serve as a mentor to him in order to achieve his goal of having his own ‘kitchen’.
Akhona Luningo entered the Organisation in 2016
