Readers step in to help boy who was shot by stray bullet

The parents of the Manenberg teen who survived being shot in the head during gang violence five years ago say they have been overwhelmed by the number of “generous strangers” offering them assistance.

On Monday, GroundUp published an article describing the struggle of Shereen Adams and her husband Ewald to save the life of their son Robin and how they are still battling to deal with the devastating consequences of his shooting.

At the age of 13, on 8 July 2013, Robin was shot in the head by a stray bullet just outside his home on the outskirts of Manenberg while playing soccer with friends. Since then, he has undergone several operations.

As a consequence of his injuries, Robin, is now enrolled in a special needs school. But because the family relies on her husband’s modest salary, Shereen told GroundUp that they have been struggling to make ends meet and paying Robin’s school fees is hard.

Since the article was published on Monday and republished on News24 on Tuesday, the Adams family say they have been surprised by the number of calls from people wanting to help pay Robin’s school fees.

“We are so overwhelmed and grateful for all the calls we are getting from people who say they were touched by Robin’s story,” said Ewald Adams.

“Robin will be so surprised,” he said. “We still owe [the school] a lot of money, but we’re overwhelmed how people want to help us.”

Ewald Adams said he would continue to encourage Robin to pursue his dream of becoming an IT specialist after he matriculates next year. “I have already started emailing companies to find out if they can give him a bursary to study further. I know Robin has his heart set on this and he can do it.”

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