UCT Alumni and friends, raising funds for education & student-led programs.
Together we can make a difference and change lives.
Sharing their Story
Mashila Makumbani
Mashila Makumbani
Mashila Makumbani
“I would sincerely like to thank the UCT Australian Trust very much for helping me alleviate my student debt which meant I was able to graduate in 2020 with a Business Science Degree specialising in Finance - something I never thought I'd achieve. I was raised by a single mother in a dusty village in Limpopo province.
Coming to study at
“I would sincerely like to thank the UCT Australian Trust very much for helping me alleviate my student debt which meant I was able to graduate in 2020 with a Business Science Degree specialising in Finance - something I never thought I'd achieve. I was raised by a single mother in a dusty village in Limpopo province.
Coming to study at UCT was challenging for me as it was my first time I had ever left home or been to the big city. I needed support with my English and it took a knock on my confidence. I couldn't ask questions in lectures because I was afraid my English would disappoint me. I was alwaysin my corner. I'm the first person in my family to get a degree. It has changed my life.
After working in the finance industry for 2 years, I am now studying for my Masters in Mcom Risk Management of Financial Markets. I would not be in this position without the support of the UCT Australian Trust."
Augustine Mnukwa
Mashila Makumbani
Mashila Makumbani
Augy is a graduate of the University of Cape Town, the leading university in Africa. She came from a poor rural area in Limpopo, the last born of 7 children. It was very difficult to come from this background and attend a major international-quality academic institution. And she had no way of knowing how she would ever afford to pay her
Augy is a graduate of the University of Cape Town, the leading university in Africa. She came from a poor rural area in Limpopo, the last born of 7 children. It was very difficult to come from this background and attend a major international-quality academic institution. And she had no way of knowing how she would ever afford to pay her tuition. As is the case in many developing countries, students like Augy have to pay their tuition costs in full before they are able to graduate. Student loans are near impossible to come by. Despite this Augy studied hard, fighting for the opportunity to be the first in her family to graduate from a world-class university.
Augy skipped meals to save money for stamps and mobile phone credits, so she could contact companies to apply for bursaries. She went without warm clothes to pay for her curriculum books.
Lusande Gebashe
Mashila Makumbani
Lusande Gebashe
I’m from Johannesburg, where I grew up in a family of four with me being the last born in the family and the first to get into a university. I graduated with a Bsc (Hons) in Physiotherapy in 2020.
As a physiotherapist In the ICU of a tertiary hospital in the Eastern cape, we help rehabilitate patients who are dependent on ventilators wit
I’m from Johannesburg, where I grew up in a family of four with me being the last born in the family and the first to get into a university. I graduated with a Bsc (Hons) in Physiotherapy in 2020.
As a physiotherapist In the ICU of a tertiary hospital in the Eastern cape, we help rehabilitate patients who are dependent on ventilators with chest/respiratory physiotherapy so they can get back to their homes and communities.
I would like to thank you for restoring my hopes of graduating and validating all the hard work I put into my studies. Thank you for helping me make my dream a reality, in doing so I have become a beacon of hope to my family and those who come after me.
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