Hi everyone, and welcome to my blog!
I recently started working with Imagine Scholar and I'm super excited to launch a campaign to support their inspiring educational development program! Imagine Scholar is a non-profit organization based in the disadvantaged rural Nkomazi region of South Africa, a region that received many families that were forcefully relocated during Apartheid, as well as refugees from the Mozambican Civil War. Nkomazi’s difficult socio-economic conditions are still felt today.
The schooling system in this region is incredibly underfunded and fails to prepare its students for university and professional life. Imagine Scholar was created in 2009 as a collaboration between one American and five students from Nkomazi with the goal of tackling this problem.
How does the program work? We identify students who have the most potential and the greatest desire to see and drive change in their communities. These students have distinguished themselves in academics, despite the limitations of their economic background and school system. Once selected, they enter into a lifelong commitment to transform themselves and their communities.
The program includes personalized academic tutoring, computer and technology training, university and career mentorship, coverage of school supplies and access to clean drinking water and nutritious food. With its focus on enhancing critical thinking, character development, effective communication and English proficiency, it empowers the next generation and creates a pathway for them to excel in university, succeed professionally and become a force for local sustainable change. We are so confident in the leadership ability of our students that Imagine Scholar will be entirely run by Nkomazi student alumni by 2020!
Imagine Scholar students also learn about environmental issues and renewable energy. Some of the inspiring projects they have developed include building a 12v electric vehicle, running trash pick-ups in the community, recycling and planting an organic garden at a local home for the elderly. They are also working on the installation of a solar power system at the school!
Their creative and effective approach to sustainable development earned Imagine Scholar a partnership with the UN, as part of their “Sustainable Development Solutions Network – Youth” program.
Other recent Imagine Scholar achievements include: - 1st place in the “Pan-African Awards for Entrepreneurship in Education” - 100% university pass rate; - 5 students were selected to attend the Yale Young Global Scholar’s program in 2016.
What will I be doing?
In addition to launching an online fundraising campaign and organizing benefit events, I will travel to the rural Nkomazi region for a month to work on-site with Imagine Scholar. I will be working directly with the students as a mentor, running workshops and assisting the organization's administrative needs.
I am proud to have this opportunity and I hope you'll join hands with me and help Nkomazi youth reach their full potential and change the future of their village!
To learn more about Imagine Scholar and the great work they do, please visit imaginescholar.org, and keep checking my blog for more updates!