As we get to know William we learn about other survivors who have been able to rise above their situation through the support of people around them. One of these is Sibongile Zenzile. Sibongile is a woman of strength and courage. Her life and experiences of humiliation fear and ultimate victory has touched the heart of The CAMPIO Burns Group. An amazingly soft, gentle spoken woman, mother of daughters Indiphile, Thina, son, Sipho and wife to the late Buyisile.
Sibongile is a woman who uses her experience of trauma and tragedy to touch the lives of those burn survivors who are still searching for their lost souls. She has become a vital component of CAMPIO’s reintegration program and was introduced to CAMPIO by the Paraffin Association of South Africa for whom she works as a data capturer.
Sibongile was engulfed in flames when the paraffin stove she was cooking on exploded and in her attempt to save her daughter, who also sustained burns injuries, is left with a severely disfigured face and body. All Sibongile could think about during those moments was the fact that she was about to leave behind her wonderful family. ; That and the loss of her dreams and aspirations.
During a CAMPIO burns awareness workshop she says, “one minute I was beautiful, the next I no longer recognised my face and neither did I want to live.
But I survived for a purpose and God has helped me live a fulfilled life, I want to tell everyone that no matter what tragedy happens in their lives, they can make it and be anything they choose to be”.
Copyright (C) 2011 The Campio Burns Group