News 2010
SJ Berwin raises £20,000 for women’s leadership in southern Africa
On February 11th, 120 women attended a dinner at law firm SJ Berwin to raise money for the Graça Machel Scholarships, to enable inspirational women of rural origin to access educational and professional opportunities. The event was a great success in two respects: 1) it exceeded its fundraising target, raising £20,000 through ticket sales, an auction and a raffle, and 2) everyone had a fantastic time!
The funds raised will enable Mudzunga Mulangaphuma, from a remote area of Limpopo Province in South Africa, to study Development Finance at Masters level at the University of Stellenbosch. Mudzunga’s dream is to set up financial services which can be accessed by rural women, enabling them to start their own enterprises, save for the future and take control of their lives. Herself from a rural background, Mudzunga is aware that access to relevant financial services is what could make the difference between a life of subsistence or the ability to establish a secure livelihood.
“I am very keen to assist rural women who are still playing major but largely unrecognised roles in agriculture in rural areas. As women build up their credit record, they will be affirmed to a greater self-awareness and self-esteem and the ‘risk-factor’ will be gradually removed.”
The company was personally thanked for its support by Graça Machel.
“I would like to thank SJ Berwin for their support for women’s education and leadership in southern Africa. On behalf of all the scholars I would like to welcome SJ Berwin as a partner in this programme.”
Having surpassed their fundraising target for the event, SJ Berwin has generously pledged the surplus funding towards a second scholar!
Meet our scholars in South Africa
Canon Collins Trust’s Chief Executive Sarah Nancollas visited South Africa last month where she met up with several of our scholars studying at the Universities of Cape Town, Western Cape and Stellenbosch. As Canon Collins Trust staff, meeting our scholars is what inspires and motivates us, and this visit was no exception.
One of the scholars Sarah met was Faith Manyonga, a Zimbabwean studying for a PhD in Literature at the University of Stellenbosch. Faith’s work focuses on female Zimbabwean writers and how their work can raise awareness of the need for gender equality. She is a committed champion of women’s rights and plans to advocate for women’s literacy to be prioritised by the Zimbabwean education system when it is reconstructed over the coming years.
“I intend to use my qualification for the advancement of marginalised women by actively participating in women’s education, conducting workshops in creative writing and helping develop a reading culture for women.”
On her return to Zimbabwe Faith plans to propose a women’s literature department at her university, making Zimbabwe a regional leader in this field. Completing her doctorate would enable Faith to become the first ever female lecturer in with a PhD in English Literature in Zimbabwe, and the first to specialise in women’s literature.
Studying in a completely different field, Sarah met Solminic Joseph, an undergraduate lawyer at the University of Western Cape. He was inspired to join the legal profession by the lawyers among South Africa’s iconic liberation struggle leaders, such as Nelson Mandela and Oliver Tambo.
“Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a lawyer. As I grew older and started doing history I realized that the a great number of world leaders are trained lawyers, and thus realized by studying law I can combine two of my great passions - helping people and politics.”
Solminic had this message to pass onto the Trust’s supporters: “You have given me the opportunity to help my family, my community and to be able to make a worthwhile contribution to my country.”
Increase your donation by 30% on 16th March!
All donations made on 16th March through the Global Giving website will be increased by 30%! Global Giving are making this offer for one day only, so if you are considering making a donation, 16th March on the Global Giving website would be the ideal time and place!
If you would like to make a donation, please follow this link:
http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/pr/2700/proj2634a.html
Zimbabwean Advocate for Transitional Justice…
Zimbabwe is a current priority for the Trust, given the vast array of skills and expertise which will be required to rebuild the country over the coming years. Zimbabweans are increasingly united by a tentative optimism and a desire to create a new dispensation which holds human rights as its central value. At Chatham House on 3rd February, Canon Collins Trust alumnus Gabriel Shumba spoke eloquently on the transition to peace, arguing that there will need to be a process of justice and reconciliation in order for Zimbabweans, and particularly the diaspora, to move on from the violence of past decades.
As Executive Director of the Zimbabwean Exile Forum, Gabriel is part of a coalition to consult with Zimbabweans, whether in their communities and villages or living as exiles, as to their experiences of the crisis and how they feel peace can be achieved. These consultations will be central to plans for national healing over the coming years.
…and gain skills to rebuild their country
The Trust has supported hundreds of Zimbabweans to gain skills and expertise in subject fields which will be vital to the country’s reconstruction. Two of the students we are currently supporting in the UK are Kundai Chinyenze and Morine Sithole.
Kundai Chinyenze was one of the first doctors to be trained in anti-retroviral therapy when the medication was finally introduced in Zimbabwe. She was determined that more children would not needlessly be orphaned because a parent could not access treatment, and is driven to continuously advance her knowledge of HIV prevention and treatment.
Kundai’s scholarship in Public Health will enable her to return to Zimbabwe with advanced epidemiological skills so that she can effectively analyse health needs and trends. She intends to play a leading role in resuscitating health infrastructure in Zimbabwe and advocating policies which focus on the prevention as well as the treatment of HIV.
“HIV may not be curable but it is preventable and treatable. I go by the principle that, ‘you must stay alive’. If one is infected, life is still a valid option and science has advanced to ensure this. If one is not infected, they must also stay alive and prevention is the key. In the past these options were not available but now we have the opportunity to make people aware of them.”
Morine Sithole was born and raised in Harare and has led the campaign to renew Zimbabwe’s communications infrastructure after its decimation by power outages and disabled lines. She is passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless by setting up a sustainable radio network in Zimbabwe, and for this reason she has chosen to specialise in Radio Systems Engineering. Giving voice to marginalised groups in remote locations strengthens democracy by improving people’s understanding of the world beyond their village, enabling them to exchange experiences and gain clarity about the political and economic developments which affect them.
“The course will guide me towards my ultimate goal of helping establish in southern Africa, radio networks of world class standard, without compromising the impact of radio network infrastructure on the environment.”
And how you have helped!
Christmas may seem a long time ago but we would like to highlight the ongoing work of some of our most loyal and generous supporters – the Cambridge Support Group. The group’s Christmas market stall raised £150 for the Trust by selling beautiful handmade Christmas tree decorations. In addition, Cambridge Support Group coordinator Michele Lambert has been working with one of our students, Refiloe Letokoto who is studying Gender and International Development, to present the Trust’s work to student fundraising groups in Cambridge. We would like to thank our Cambridge supporters for donating their time and energy to the cause!
Above: Tarin Brokenshire and Joyce Malongo at their stall in Cambridge in December.
Matrix Chambers and BSALA support justice in southern Africa
In 2010 our new partnerships with Matrix Chambers and the British South African Law Association (BSALA) are enabling us to support two undergraduate lawyers amongst our new intake of students in South Africa.
Historically disadvantaged groups are chronically underrepresented amongst South Africa’s lawyers, 73% of whom are white, so it is essential that the justice system is opened up to participation by marginalised and disadvantaged groups. Southern Africa as a whole urgently needs legal experts to promote human rights, and in Zimbabwe this is particularly crucial as society is reconstructed over the coming years.
The Matrix Chambers scholarship was awarded to Rocker Mandipe for his outstanding commitment to the reconstruction of Zimbabwe, his home country. His goal is to work with civil society organisations to promote and build understanding of human rights, so that even people in the remotest areas of the country are aware of and can unite in protection of their rights.
Leatitia Sisusa was selected to receive the BSALA bursary. The daughter of a charwoman, Leatitia is driven by a desire for equality and social justice – in her own words, she plans to use her degree ‘to resist inequality, xenophobia, violence and human abuse, and to promote and stand for what is fair’.
We are delighted to be able to welcome Rocker and Leatitia to the programme and would like to thank Matrix Chambers and BSALA for their generous support to realise the potential of southern Africa’s future legal experts.
Volunteer Shasti Lowton wins Vodafone award!
Volunteer Shasti Lowton has won an award from the Vodafone World of Difference programme so that we can employ her on a full time basis for two months! Having volunteered part-time for the Trust in 2009, Shasti applied for the award and was successful, meaning that the Trust will benefit from her support between now and March. We are all looking forward to working with Shasti and would like to take this opportunity to publicly welcome her to the team.
Shasti is writing a blog for the Vodafone Foundation, which you can read here: http://worldofdifference.vodafone.co.uk/uk/shasti-lowton/first-day/
And please click here for an article about her featured in the Westminster Chronicle:
http://westminster.londoninformer.co.uk/2010/01/paddington-womans-charity-drea.html
Alumni meet in Johannesburg
Over the past two years the Trust has put considerable effort into developing its alumni network, on the basis that sharing ideas is often as beneficial as creating new ones. Our alumni work in a vast array of fields including health, education, food security, human rights and water technology, and each has their own unique contribution to make to southern Africa’s development. By putting alumni in touch with one another, the network ensures that professionals facing similar challenges can exchange their valuable knowledge and expertise.
Around 30 alumni from the Johannesburg area met on the top floor of the University of Witwatersrand’s Senate Building, a stunning location which provided a dramatic view of the sun setting over the city of Johannesburg. Guests were addressed by Vathiswa Papu, a former scholar who was supported to study medical biochemistry and is now making a vital contribution as a senior scientist at the Medical Research Council of South Africa. Vathiswa truly embodies the spirit of the Trust – in her spare time she passes her skills on through youth career development workshops, and she is even reinvesting in our scholarships as a donor to the Trust!
