Ubuntu Education Fund

Mentors Hold Up The Fortitude

It all comes of extending  that parental kind of  care. You know, the nurturing and watching over  hatchlings, fussing over the details.   Without sufficient watching over we flounder, with it we flourish.  While nurturing isn’t limited to what only women can do to help younger people  flourish, it just  so happens that we four people managing  this education funding program are, at the moment, all women.  (But that is not going to stay that way.)   

 We turned what works, into policy at Ubuntu Education Fund: every beneficiary be under the watchful care of a mentor, a nurturer.   This year we are giving formal attention to this ‘organically grown’  part of our program.  We are  discussing  what works, finding out from students what  interactions  work well,  what the commitment is, how to get better at it. We will take   a good look at collected ideas of mentoring from outside sources, to improve  our ‘serve’.

Students breathe easier when there is a listening ear at the other end of the cell phone.  “I’ve just found out’…..and the momentary loss of breath and clear thinking is shared with someone experienced in navigating  twists and turns of institutional life. It takes fortitude to reach the end of a school course when your background hasn’t provided all you actually need.  Mentors help you get through the challenging moments.

‘Without you, Ma’am, I would never have been able to keep getting back up after failing that class.”

“She was always there where I could reach her, with a plan and a way to help me with my problems.”

“The job I have now I would never have without graduating, and if it weren’t for his counsel , I would  give up because [school] was so hard.”

“He always said, yes, we can make a plan. He drove us to Johannesberg to enrol in our electrical student program.”

While the funding has been critical to paying for daily needs, registration, books, travel and costs of being away from home for all our students, it is the mentoring, the counsel, admonishment, praise and affirmation that has made all the difference in character, perseverance, recovering from failure.

Who doesn’t thrive under being held accountable by someone who is motivated by love for us?

We  shout out a  big  thank you to the mentors of the students funded by UPEF.  Your time, your heart, your caring are a gift to all of us and to our community.

The South African national hero, Nelson Mandela, wrote his hopeful and difficult journey to freedom in a book of this title. He was in prison on Robben Island when he wrote it, circulating chapters and sections of it throughout the prisoner population. An exprisoner, who was our guide when we visited Robben Island in March, told how very carefully this clandestine and dangerous activity was carried out. The school notepad  pages with their smudgy pen writings were shuffled, passed from cell block to cell block, hidden and handled like gold, telling the dramatic story of the passionate bid for freedom by this and many other warriors. The story Mandela wrote, chapter by chapter, brought courage and hope to the many political prisoners of Robben Island as they lived through endless hopeless days.

Today, the 10 young South African students currently supported by your donations, are courageously walking this dearly purchased long road of equal opportunity.

Listen to the students making these comments:

 My dream is to be a better person in life, build my family a place to stay, a home. Right now since Im doing Electrical Engineering  training, it will be one of my biggest achievement. I am thankful for the support that I've received from different people and family in order for me to continue with my journey.

I've had a lot of discouraging moments this year, especially with my schoolwork. I've been struggling with juggling assignments, studying, and deadlines. I even had to repeat a module because of some errors at school. It was really tough, and it was even worse since the module was a prerequisite that blocked my 3rd year modules. I really felt frustrated and stressed, but I got through it.

The most encouraging person in my long journey to completing my training/education has been Mem Mbongwa. Her support, guidance, and belief in me has been keeping me grounded .Her support keeps me motivated and focused on my goals.

I always dream of being a qualified electrician so that is what I am working on at the moment. My best achievement is that I finished  N6 in Electrical, got my driver's license and I am planning on getting my Diploma  in Electrical Artisan very soon

 I’m so grateful for everything my family and Ubuntu Partners  have done for me . You have been so helpful to me towards my career path , and for that I'm super thankful. What I hope to achieve in life is a diploma in Public Management and get a stable job   so that I can  be able to help others as I have been helped.

Sometime difficult times come along but giving up is not an option. Sometimes I would stay without food for days but because of the success that I am looking for I would have to make a plan to get something to eat. It  was very difficult.

These beautiful young people, many orphaned by HIV AIDS , are the first generation of their families to be educated, trained and eligible for productive jobs.

                                     Nelson Mandela would be proud!

How better can it get than partnering with young South Africans like these?  Please take a moment to feel the satisfaction that comes when you can see that you’ve made a difference in these young people’s life.

Big thanks for your support from us at Ubuntu Education Fund.