Tell us how your journey starts?

For me, my journey started when a lady from church encouraged me to apply for social work bursaries at her work place, Department of Social Development. The condition for my bursary application to be accepted was that I had to upload a proof of application at any of the public universities in South Africa. This condition pushed me to apply for Social Work at the university of Johannesburg, unfortunately (or rather blessing in disguise) I was not accepted for social work.

I received an SMS that my application for social work was unsuccessful due to space constraints. I knew in every fibre in me that I didn’t want to live another year without studying and fulfilling my purpose. So, I took a train to the university to appeal and inquire which programmes did still have space on them. Fortunately enough I was told that I could apply for Community Development and Leadership (CDL) a programme in the faculty of social work. I then read the course content and I loved it, and a thrilled voice in me said this is what I am called to do!

From this moment on, things started working in my favour. I applied for CDL and was accepted on the spot, likely the administrator who helped with my application referred me to run and apply for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), closing applications on the very day. I was the last applicant and still my application for NSFAS was approved on the day. I left the University knowing that I had been accepted to study and I had financial support.

Three years post the completion of my undergraduate qualification I furthered my studies in Honours in Public Management and Governance and I have recently applied for a Masters in Social Impact Assessment at the University of Johannesburg for 2023 intake.

What factors led you to study Community Development and Leadership?

My journey in Community Development stems from a desire and passion for transforming disadvantaged communities for the better, helping people realise their potential. I grew up in poverty, in a community clustered with shacks and squatter camps and yet surrounded by middle class suburbs with housing infrastructure, electricity and ablution facilities. This inequality didn’t give me peace, it made me curious and ask questions about how we could make our communities a better place. I drew inspiration from the surrounding areas, and from informal research on how they were making better communities. At least 70% proved to be education.

As a growing child in such a situation I knew that this couldn’t be it, that there must be solutions to this inequality. That’s when I knew that I to be an agent of change and help people release their assets, strengths and capabilities. Some of my peers in varsity didn’t understand why one would study community development and leadership, when there were ‘sophisticated’ qualification such as IT, Law, Engineering, Medicine etc. But I knew that I wanted to be an agent of change. Hence my first option was to be a social worker, until God’s purpose for my life met me at the point of my need, desperate to study and revealed a tailored qualification.

What is the role of education in changing the landscape for individuals from the local communities in the countries that you work in?

Former South African President Nelson Mandela said “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”. I am a testimony of this quote, my narrative changed when I valued education and being the only tertiary graduate in my father’s lineage.

Indeed, education plays a key role in reducing poverty, fostering economic growth, achieving equality and social development for individuals coming from the least developed communities. Education has empowered young men and women to equally contribute knowledge, skills and leadership to their societies, and become contributing members to the economic growth of their countries. Education reduces the number of poor people, it has proven to be a critical lever in the fight against their country’s triple challenge of poverty, inequality and unemployment.

There is so much skill and talent within these communities, with financial resource being a huge obstacle to progression. What do you think needs to be in place in order to change this?

There is no easy fix for increasing financial resource to connect talent to opportunities. However, partnership between civil society, government and private sectors can make a big difference. These entities need to have radical sustainable plans that address transformation and youth empowerment. Government and corporates should enhance their sector specific skills, funds and opportunities, establish zero corruption policies that can ensure that these funds are used for their intended objective.

Tell me about your current role with DLA Piper?

My title is Global Scholarships Programme (GSP) Manager. I am responsible for the implementation of the Global Scholarship Programme in 18 of the least developed countries across the Asia Pacific region, Africa and LATAM. The GSP supports talented law students who we believe will be the next generation of leaders in law, business and community. The programme focuses on underserved regions where a strong legal profession is essential to advancing the rule of law and delivering sustainable development.

What impact does the Global Scholarships Programme have on participants and where do they go once they have completed the programme?

The GSP not only covers tuition, but changes the lives of our Fellows as well through our core modules such as mentoring, training and professional development, and leadership development training to mention a few. The GSP impact goes from reducing the financial burden of the rising tuition costs to helping Fellows to be work ready when they complete their qualifications. Therefore, the GSP plays an important role in making university  more accessible and affordable, and paving the way for our Fellows to be successful in both their pursuit and completion of their law qualifications.

Some of our Fellows find employment in their prestigious local law firms, others venture into business and establish their own NGOs, others pursue their studies through life changing international scholarship opportunities.

In the work that you’ve done, have you seen a change in social mobility?

Yes, education is the main means of social mobility. The GSP has offered our Fellows an opportunity to change the narrative in their family, society and country’s economy. Through the GSP, we have used our core modules to be a gateway to legal professions and prestigious and moderately well paid careers. We have had GSP Alumni going back to their communities to be agents of change, volunteering their time in legal clinics and NGOs, volunteering to teach English, and creating tools to ensure accessibility of information to the upcoming generations.

If we want to help and get involved, what do you think the most effective ways of doing this are?

The most effective way to get involved is through volunteering your time to be a mentor to these wonderful, talented young people. To help them set career objectives and SMART long term goals, supporting them to access internships and life changing career opportunities. Also, our Fellows take a lot of inspiration from different leaders who have overcome life challenges in their career journeys, so having a series of leaders for our monthly Q&A sessions and have them attend some of our events as guest speakers.

What drives you to get out of bed in the morning and what do you hope for the future?

I love my job, it brings me joy and fulfilment every time I wake up to say I am going to work and I am actually going to change someone’s destiny for the better. It bring fulfilment to me knowing that I am helping a young person make their dream a reality, I don’t make their dreams a reality NO! They already have it in them to become the better version of themselves, my role is to  stir up that “thing already in them” and just walk the journey with them to pick them up and give them support when they fall. I am a firm believer that no matter how disadvantaged a person or a community may be, they have skills and assets that could be used to make them a success. So, my approach in my work is not needs based, yes, I am here because of their needs but I focus on their assets, skills and capabilities. Now, as a community development practitioner it is my role to make people and communities realise their strengths and talents.

Share This Article