Investing to Change Resilience to Results

Siyamthanda (Siya) Mabizela dreams of building an “unconventional world-class school” in Mdantsane, the Eastern Cape, South Africa, where her grandmother helped bring her up after she was orphaned at a young age. Siya believes that all children are gifted and can be taught. It is the opportunity, tools and resilience that make the difference.

Having seen the value of education in her life, Siya dedicates her Saturday afternoons to tutoring disadvantaged primary school learners in an impoverished community (Khayelitsha) in Math and English. Recognizing that the teaching methods used in the classroom accommodate some learners and not others, she researched innovative ways of teaching and found an effective Chinese method. Seeing learners previously disengaged become eager to learn has been rewarding for Siya.

With your help, Siya can achieve her educational goals and continue to help others. Siya urgently needs financial support ($6500/about R115,000) to collect her postgraduate Development Finance diploma and later pursue an MBA in Impact Investing.

Siya completed her first undergraduate degree in 2021. Sadly, she could not attend her graduation ceremony due to financial constraints. During her undergraduate degree, Siya acted as Chairperson of the UWC Investment Society and Ambassador of the 100 Women in Finance — a global network of fund managers and investment professionals. Through these roles, she empowered more female students to consider financial services, particularly asset management, as a career option. Siya helped women bridge the gap between the theoretical knowledge obtained at university and the practical skills required in the industry by advising on investment portfolios via EasyEquities, a South African low cost investment platform. Furthermore, recognizing the importance of financial literacy, Siya occasionally partnered with her career mentor to host informative personal finance webinars.

Siya did not let the lack of money stand in the way of her progress. Instead, her commitment to expand her knowledge so she can contribute to the economic empowerment of the African continent led her to pursue her postgraduate diploma (PGDip) in Development Finance in 2022 at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. This was done while raising her young daughter, looking after her sickly 89-year-old grandmother, and doing her grad-tern ship at Triple C Advisory (a black female-owned startup). Grad-tern is a Triple C Advisory term used to value graduate knowledge whilst provisioning for on-the-job learning.

With so much on her plate, Siya often had to juggle. For instance, she would do her online lectures whilst preparing dinner for her family, helping her daughter with homework, and figuring out her new gradternship role. Siya would take two 16-hour bus rides and share a six-bed dormitory with strangers in a backpackers’ accommodation in Cape Town so that she could write her final exams.

Siya’s determination and strong faith in God have already paid off as she passed her PGDip, obtaining two distinctions. She is eligible to graduate, but money stands in the way. She must pay the overdue fees to get her certificate and attend her graduation, this time in person. This brings us to the purpose of the fundraising campaign: It seeks to raise the $6500 (about R115,000) needed to release Siya’s PgDip in Development Finance certificate and sponsor her graduation attendance in July.

You can help Siya turn her resilience into educational breakthroughs for her and future generations. To guarantee that your contribution/ investment goes to the right campaign, tag it, - “Graduate” or “Impact Master”. Triple C Advisory will assist Siya with fiscal management and reporting. Siya will enable you to follow her journey through pictures and updates on this platform.

Please click on the link below to read Siya’s full story. An audio version is available.

https://tinyurl.com/2p9zudvb

South Africans can donate to this Bank account using MBZSIY007 as reference:

Account number: 270689982

Account holder: University of Cape Town (UCT)

Bank name and Branch: Standard Bank Rondebosch, Branch code 025009

Reference: MBZSIY007

Or to my personal bank account:

Account number: 1543559385

Account holder: Miss S Mabizela

Bank name: Capitec Bank

Your support is greatly appreciated and will be paid forward intergenerationally to education for all.

Credits: This story was written by Siya, edited by Toni Henning as sponsored by Triple C Advisory