“As a young woman from a disadvantaged background, both school and university were out of my reach, I know the value of education and I want to support other young people on the continent to reach their dreams.”

– Dr Shakira Choonara

Shakira Choonara 2023 NEW-31-33-33

In 2022, we piloted the Shakira Choonara Young African Scholarship Award. The scholarship is an investment in young people a thriving Africa and African excellence. The Shakira Choonara Young African Scholarship Award will be awarded each year to a deserving final year student at either the undergraduate or postgraduate level (Honors, Masters, PhD), aged 21-35 years-old, residing and pursuing their studies on the African Continent.

The Shakira Choonara Young African Scholarship Award will be awarded each year to a deserving final year student at either the undergraduate or postgraduate level (Honors, Masters, PhD). The scholarship supports final year tuition fees for a disadvantaged student. The student must be pursuing a university degree and have a track record of academic excellence (70% or more in the current and previous years of study). Studies in the broader development field will be supported, desirable fields include health sciences and gender studies.

First Awardee, 2022

Our first scholarship awardee Ms Goitsemodimo Ditsele completed a Master of Arts in Development Studies from the University of Botswana in 2022.

“I was raised in a village called Letlhakane in Botswana. I am the last-born child in a family of three children and I was raised by a single mother. I am working for a regional organization called SRHR Africa Trust as a Programme Officer. The scholarship gave me light and hope again, as I was struggling to pay for tuition fees as a self-sponsored student. The scholarship also paved a way to achieve my dreams and it made it possible for me to get my Masters Degree.”

– Ms Goitsemodimo Ditsele, 2022 Awardee

Second Awardee, 2023

In 2023, Ms. Sanelisiwe Khumalo who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Social Science Honors in Sociology at the University of the Free State in South Africa received the scholarship award.

“My journey to this point has been shaped by the values of determination, resilience, and a deep desire to break the cycle of disadvantage that has persisted in my family and my community for generations. Things are tough for us financially. My vision for the future includes not only completing my studies, pursuing a master’s degree and making a meaningful impact on my family’s circumstances”

– Ms. Sanelisiwe Khumalo, 2023 Awardee