A FEW BENEFICIARY STORIES
FUTURE CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT
FRANK ASIIMWE
- Past student reaching for more.
Frank found himself in South Africa, a an orphaned refugee from the DRC.
"I am always grateful for the opportunity that has been given to me by the Dr. Thandi’s Foundation. I have been given the chance to realise my dream of being a Chartered Accountant. I realise that what the foundation has offered me is unique and that there are many others that have not been given the opportunity to further their studies. I hope to prove that this opportunity will not be wasted and will do my utmost best in my studies."
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Frank is currently working full time as a Junior Accountant studying towards becoming a fully fledged Chartered Accountant. He currently rents his own flat, has self furnished the unit and is saving towards a car.
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FUTURE CHEMICAL ENGINEER
NTHABISENG HLAPISI
- Completing 2019
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"I was born in Soweto and now live in White City. I have an older sister and we were both raised by our late mother until she passed away in 2008. Since then I have been raised by my older sister. I stay with her, my brother in law and their son.
I matriculated in 2012 and am currently doing my first year in BSC in Chemical Engineering. My first semester was really difficult. The transition between high school and varsity, as well as living away from home with no elders to guide me was tough. Now during the second semester I am getting used to the independent lifestyle and managing things by myself. It has been a growing experience for me, I have gotten to known myself and how to deal with the academics. I was disappointed at not being able to study medicine, but have embraced the “I can be anything attitude” which is one of the contributing factors to me enjoying my course now.
The Dr. Thandi Ndlovu Children’s Foundation is the greatest privilege in my life because education is one of the greatest riches one can get. As a young black women, with the skills that I acquire in this course, I will be able to close the gap between the gender inequalities in the engineering sphere. With my degree I will be able to enter most of the scientific fields and I can turn the impossible into the possible."
MUSIC TEACHER
FILM MAKER
LERATO SEBELEBELE
- Past student. Currently Completing his Masters in Music while working full time as a International Private School.
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"At the age of 12, due to financial strains and my mother’s alcohol abuse my big brother took me with him to the Kingdom Life Children’s Centre. I stayed at the orphanage until I completed my matric in 2011.
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The opportunity that Dr. Thandi has offered me means alot to me, and I am very grateful for it. I remember how stressed I was during my matric year about going to varsity and furthering my studies. By the grace of God I received the bursary from Dr. Thandi, which came via the Deputy Minister of Public Works. I was overwhelmed and very happy.
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I would like to thank Dr. Thandi for her sympathy and love, it is my wish that God should bless her, so that she can continue to do the great job of helping those who are in need."
FUTURE PHD IN AGRICULTURE
LERATO PHALI
- Completed with the foundation in 2016. Currently studying in Italy towards her PHD.
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"I am Lerato Phali, I was raised in the township of Sebokeng and completed high school at Khutlo – Tharo Secondary. I am the first of three children. My father died in 1996 leaving my unemployed mother to take care of us. She later died when I was in Grade 10. While in high school I studied agriculture, this is when I decided that I would like to pursue a career in agricultural economics. With the help of my uncles I managed to complete matric and register for the first year of my studies at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal. After the first year, the reality of not being able to complete my studies faced me – my uncles were no longer able to financially support me.
I did not give up. I told myself that one way or the other I will study. Luckily, at the university you can stay in residence and study throughout the year only having to pay at the end of the school year. I told myself that at some point during the year I would have to find someone who could help me. Unfortunately, I didn’t. These were the worst days of my life, I was owing the school and could not carry on studying. My dream of becoming an Agricultural Economist was shattered. In January 2010 I met my good Samaritan, Dr. Thandi Ndlovu. She assured me that I will finish my degree. Dr. Ndlovu ensured that my outstanding fees were paid in full, and I was able to register for my 3rd year. It was during that year that I also met Mr van Ettinger and was told that Dr. Ndlovu’s foundation will also be helping other disadvantaged students like me finish their studies. Without their help, I would have been a varsity drop out. The foundation paid and still does my fees, accommodation and provides me with a meal allowance. My performance has since improved and today I hold a BSc Masters in Agricultural Economics and am currently studying in Italy towards my PHD. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity that was given to me by such blessed souls of the Lord.
I want to be a successful business owner, and a board member of multiple companies. After completing my PHD I would love to gain work experience and work in the maize trade. My interests lie in agricultural lending, trade and investments. I would love to work in international trade and regulate trade between South Africa and other countries for agricultural commodities. With a good head for figures I would make a good market analyst. I would like to own the first black female owned agricultural consulting company specializing in soil science, plant breeding, agribusiness and agricultural economics.
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I am privileged to have been sponsored and will also help sponsor disadvantaged people in the future because there is no better gift than education."
THATI PEELE
- Past student
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"My name is Onthatile Segokgwana Peele, I am a young woman who, for as long as I can recall, has always had a passion for cinema. This passion developed into a love and led me to leave my career and country to follow it to New York to study film directing. Not an easy task for a girl from Phokeng with an undergraduate degree in Statistics.
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My meeting with Dr. Thandi Ndlovu was serendipitous. I had been accepted into and had completed my first year in a MFA in filmmaking at New York University (NYU). A graduate degree in film from NYU is a cinephile’s dream. Not only is it the number 1 film school in the world but; it is also where many of the directors we have come to idolize (Scorsese, Ang Lee, Spike Lee) studied.
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Unfortunately, at the end of my first year of international study, as is the case with many young South Africans, I was unable to continue due to financial constraints. My family is unable to support me and my largest sponsor could not renew my bursary. However, as I said before, this is my love. I was not about to give up on my goal to become a great filmmaker and promote African Cinema on the world stage.
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I started to pitch to companies to fund me to go back and complete my degree. In one such pitch, I was fortunate to meet Dr. Thandi Ndlovu, from the Motheo Construction Group. I was elated to hear that not only did they believe in what I was trying to do, but would also contribute towards my education. After months of cold calling and pitching to companies, this was a nothing short of a miracle. A glimmer of hope and an affirmation that what I was trying to do had merit.
The Dr. Thandi Ndlovu Children’s Foundation has been kind enough not only to provide me with financial support to help me pay a portion of my studies, but also great mentorship. I am very grateful to people who believe in any young person enough to support their vision to uplift their country, however crazy the medium may seem.Thank you to the Foundation for supporting young people such as myself. Our only wish is to make you all proud."