In 2012 while playing outside her home in Gugulethu, Cape Town, 3-year-old Cwenga Malamba was hit by a stray bullet which resulted in her losing an eye - however, the young girl didn't let that stop her from doing ballet.
With the support of the Social Work Child Protection Programme at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Cwenga has since made a remarkable recovery and lives her life to the fullest.
Her mother Tobeka said that after she heard gunshots go off, she looked at the front door she saw blood at the gate.
"My child got shot, a 3-year-old, how does...how is that possible?"
"We went to Red Cross (and) I couldn't sleep that day," Tobeka explains. "They take her to the theatre [sic] and they took out the eye that was damaged.
"I was told that they are going to make something that looks like a real eye just to make her feel better and not uncomfortable around other kids."
Head of the Social Work Child Protection Programme, Carla Brown explained that the work they do plays a pivotal role in ensuring the holistic recovery and ongoing safety of thousands children who have experienced severe physical trauma and/or sexual abuse.
Brown said that it's because of the programme that they were able to follow-up with Cwenga and her mother to ensure that they accessed the correct counselling, and develop a specific programme that helps Cwenga.
"Now the result is that Cwenga is a ballet dancer. She is a confident girl," Brown said.
"We see that we really have a little girl who has overcome the trauma that she has experienced."
Cwenga, who is now 12-years-old, has just joined the Zama Dance School in Gugulethu and said that "when I'm dancing I feel so excited and happy about my future".
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