Category: education

Categories
achievement education Featured funding inspiration media Media Release Notices Opportunities Oxford

RHODES TRUST ANNOUNCES 2018 SCHOLARS-ELECT FOR OXFORD STUDY

JOHANNESBURG/07 December 2018 – The Secretariat, Rhodes Scholarships in Southern Africa is pleased to announce the election of the 2018 Rhodes Scholars-elect for South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland to study at the University of Oxford from October 2018.

The Rhodes Scholarship, awarded for the first time in 1903, provides exceptional students with the opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Each year 89 Rhodes Scholars are selected from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica & the Commonwealth Caribbean, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Southern Africa (including South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland), United Arab Emirates, United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In Southern Africa there are:

  Ø  four Scholarships every year for applicants from South Africa-at-Large,

  Ø  one for applicants from KwaZulu-Natal,

  Ø  one for applicants from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland, and

  Ø  one each for applicants of or from:

    o   Diocesan College, Rondebosch (Bishops) and its partner schools, St Cyprian’s School, St George’s Grammar School, Herschel Girls School, and LEAP 1 School;

    o   South African College School, Newlands (SACS) and its partner schools, Sans Souci Girls’ High School and Rustenburg High School for Girls;

    o   Paul Roos Gymnasium, Stellenbosch and its partner schools, Rhenish Girls’ High School and Bloemhof Girls’ High School; and

    o   St Andrew’s College, Grahamstown and its partner school, Diocesan School for Girls.

Applicants to the Rhodes Scholarship are evaluated on academic excellence, character, leadership, and commitment to service.

Ndumiso Luthuli, General Secretary of the Rhodes Scholarships in Southern Africa, congratulated the Rhodes Scholars-elect on their achievement: ‘As always, it is an honour to meet young, bold South Africans who have excelled in the classroom and have begun to tackle significant challenges in the wider world. We are inspired by their achievements, their drive and commitment to the public good. We wish them all the best at Oxford and beyond.’

The Rhodes Scholars-elect for the year 2017 are:  

South Africa-at-Large:

Bronwyn Gavine (26) was born in Potchefstroom and attended St Andrew’s School in Welkom. She completed her MBChB with 1st class honours at the University of Cape Town, and went on to complete her internship in East London at Cecelia Makiwane and Frere Hospital. She is an advocate for equal access to quality healthcare, with a focus on surgical and neurosurgical services. As a student, she ran SHAWCO Health’s Simthandile Clinic and assisted in developing a health promotion programme that was implemented in all of the clinics. She was Vice President of the UCT Surgical Society, and in 2014 she was Deputy Chair of the organizing committee of the International Association of Student Surgical Societies (IASSS), which hosted its inaugural multinational surgery conference in Cape Town that year. She is passionate about neuroscience and neurosurgery, with a focus on disease profiles that impact developing countries, and South Africa in particular. Her research focus has been the burden and impact of traumatic brain injury and tuberculous meningitis in the paediatric population, which she has presented at conferences, and published. At Oxford, she plans to read for an MSc in Neuroscience.

Morategi Kale (22) was born in Pretoria and attended Pretoria High School for Girls. She is a graduate of the University of Cape Town with a Bachelor of Social Science in International Relations (with distinction) and Philosophy. She has recently finished her Honours in International Relations where her thesis was written on a feminist critique of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Throughout her studies, Morategi has worked keenly on increasing and improving youth participation in policy-making – particularly in climate change policy. In 2015, she was invited to join the official South African delegation to COP21 in Paris, where she was invited to speak on a panel for hosted by the World Association for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, and a panel on green jobs organised by the African Development Bank.  She has co-authored and edited a Youth in Climate Action report that will be included in South Africa’s official report on climate action to the United Nations. Morategi looks forward to pursuing an MPhil in Development Studies at Oxford and thereafter, return to South Africa to undertake a career in research and in the public sector.

Lehlohonolo Moche (23) was born in Pretoria and attended Pretoria High School for Girls, where she was Deputy Head Girl in 2012. She completed a Bachelor of Engineering in Industrial Engineering (with distinction) at the University of Pretoria in 2016. She is currently completing masters in Industrial Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand as a Mandela Rhodes Scholar. She is passionate about the empowerment of women particularly in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields and therefore founded a Lean In chapter at the University of Pretoria. Lehlohonolo also as mentors undergraduate engineering students. She is an alumnus the South Africa-Washington-International Programs and the Women in Engineering Fellowship. As part of the programs, she undertook community engagement projects at PEN Ignite Education Centre and at Seshegong Secondary School. She has won the WomEng Technovation Challenge. She intends to pursue a master’s degree in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation while at Oxford.

Koot (Jacobus) Kotze (26) was born in Somerset West and attended Parel Vallei High School. Koot attended Stellenbosch University where he completed his MBChB (cum laude). Koot was awarded the university’s highest academic honour, the Chancellor’s Medal. He has published four academic articles (one as the principal author) and also writes in the media. He currently works in East London, and is excited to be starting community service at Zithulele Hospital in 2018. As a student, he was a co-founder of the NGO TB Proof, which advocates for the prevention of TB transmission, access to new and safer TB medications and the reduction of TB stigma. He was also a co-founder of the Safe Working Hours Campaign, which advocates for the implementation of continuous shift limits to prevent harm to patients and practitioners within the South African healthcare setting. He loves reading, spending time outdoors, dogs, and enjoying the company of his wife, family and friends. At Oxford, will study towards an MSc in International Health and Tropical Medicine.

Farah Jawitz (25) was born in Cape Town and attended Westerford High School. A medical doctor, artist and activist, Farah is passionate about improving the lives of patients and healthcare workers through innovation and human-centred design. Farah is currently serving as the chairperson of the Western Cape branch of the Junior Doctors Association of South Africa, and leads various campaigns affecting junior doctors. She co-led the Safe Working Hours campaign which reviewed the impact of fatigue on medical error and led to a reduction in the maximum continuous shift for junior doctors in South Africa. She is an avid painter, vocalist and clarinettist. Farah aims to pursue an MSc in international and tropical medicine and MBA at Oxford.

Dylan Barry (22) was born in Johannesburg and attended Sacred Heart College. Dylan completed a BSc (with distinction) at the University of the Witwatersrand with majors in Economics and Physics, and has just completed an Honours degree with a focus on theoretical physics. He is a contributing author on the 2017 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Youth Report and a UNESCO Youth Ambassador. In 2017, Dylan won a challenge posed by Pravin Gordhan and Trevor Manuel to draft a Charter of Economic Rights in supplement to the South African constitution’s Bill of Rights. He was the lead economics contributor on the group of students and academics that authored the Thuto ke Lesedi financial model for free undergraduate higher education in South Africa. Dylan represented South Africa at the 2015 Junior World Orienteering Championships in Norway.

Kwa-Zulu Natal

Kumeren Govender (24) was born in Durban and attended Star College. is currently completing his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree and Master’s degree in Health Science on a special dual-track degree program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa. During his undergraduate years of study, he has published numerous peer-reviewed articles, written letters to journal editors and presented at conferences. He founded the South African Medical Students Association UKZN branch and coordinates numerous social campaigns. He is an accomplished violinist and also swims the Midmar mile, which is the world’s largest open water swim. Govender hopes to bridge knowledge from developed worlds to developing worlds and contribute to pioneering innovative and interdisciplinary solutions that are globally relevant to ultimately improve the lives of those burdened by diseases.

Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland:

Temwa Chimphepo (22) was born in Malawi and attended the Marymount Catholic Secondary School. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science degree (Economics) with Distinction from the University of Malawi, Chancellor College. Temwa was awarded the National Bank of Malawi: Best Student award for the Faculty of Social Science in 2016. She developed interest in Mathematics and started working on Statistics for Economists and Abstract Algebra books; planned for completion in 2018This award came with a cash gift that Temwa used to provide gifts for SOS Children’s Villages in Mzuzu. Temwa has served as an intern at World Bank in Malawi and was part of the team drafting the fifth edition of the Malawi Economic Monitor launched in June 2017. She has also interned at World Vision Malawi in the Education Department. At Oxford, Temwa will study towards an MSc in Mathematical and Computational Finance and an MSc in Financial Economics. Upon completion of her studies, Temwa intends to be a lecturer and an investor raising money to sustain philanthropic organisations.

Schools’ Scholars-Elect

Bishops, St Cyprian’s, St George’s Grammar, Herschel Girls, and LEAP 1 School

This committee did not award a scholarship for 2018.

SACS, Sans Souci Girls’ and Rustenburg High School for Girls

This committee did not award a scholarship for 2018.

Paul Roos Gymnasium, Rhenish Girls’ High and Bloemhof Girls’ High

Helene-Mari van der Westhuizen (27) choose a career in medicine as it represents an intersection between people’s stories, science and policy. She obtained an MBChB (cum laude) from the University of Stellenbosch. She is co-founder of the NGO, TB Proof, which focuses on preventing Tuberculosis transmission in healthcare facilities and reducing TB stigma. She co-led the Safe Working Hours campaign which reviewed the impact of fatigue on medical error and led to a reduction in the maximum continuous shift for junior doctors in South Africa. She founded the Stellenbosch University Medical Orchestra in which she played the oboe for five years. Helene-Mari would like to pursue a career in public health and intends to study Primary Care at Oxford University, looking at strategies for TB prevention in high burden settings.

St Andrew’s College

Aaron Graham (23) was born in Johannesburg and attended St Andrew’s College in Grahamstown. He graduated from the University of Cape Town in 2016 with first class honours in a BSc. Eng. (Mechanical). He is currently completing an MSc. Eng. focusing on Continuum Mechanics and Finite Element Methods. Throughout his university career he has been heavily involved in student organisations, focusing on ethical leadership and effective governance, winning an award for best performing sub warden. He is an officer in the South African Navy, spending a couple of months per year with them. Aaron intends to read for a DPhil in Engineering Science at Oxford, focusing on material characterisation and FEA modelling of soft biological tissue during impact events. Aaron spends his free time hiking, running and reading, as well as tending to his bonsai.

For further information please contact Annette Gibson at rhotrust@pixie.co.za or Trudi Makhaya at trudimakhaya@gmail.com or visit  https://www.rhodeshouse.ox.ac.uk/about/rhodes-house/

Categories
achievement advocacy education funding innovation insights inspiration media Media Release mzansipreneur public policy women

Milk too messy for sterilised corporates

At a pan-African conference with more than 40,000 delegates, one imagines that a not insignificant proportion of attendees are parents of young children. There is also the emerging trend of business travellers who take their children along on business trips, out of choice or circumstance, as I tend to do.

Yet when I asked the conference organisers if they had considered adding a childcare booth as part of the conference amenities, I was met with bewilderment.

I shouldn’t be surprised. I have hosted a conference in Cape Town myself and not once did the thought of childcare enter my mind. We live in a world with hard boundaries between the spheres of paid work and care work. Parents have to split themselves into parts, and in many ways, it remains taboo to let these spheres intersect.

On my first business trip with my baby daughter, I had to attend a two-day conference held at a hotel outside Stellenbosch. I booked into the hotel, located on a large property with lovely walkways and with one of the rooms converted into a cosy playroom. This was not a good way to start, because it was too easy and convenient, and raised my expectations. On the next trip, I ended up at a high-end hotel in the Cape Town central business district. It had great facilities but on inquiring about the playroom I was informed that the hotel caters to business travellers. I, too, am a business traveller.

Once, a client-side colleague on a project told me that when she had a young baby that fact was not visible in her work life. She was juggling graduate school and building a consultancy and none of the people she encountered in her work-life would have guessed that she had a newborn. The implicit advice was that I do the same lest I lose out on opportunities. In the context of our conversation, that advice did not come across as harsh as it might sound and was probably a little exaggerated. But it still raises concern.

Have we set up workspaces where parenting has to be invisible? Where it’s aspirational to take time off for a soul-searching sabbatical but admitting to the demands of childcare seems like shirking?

As one who acts as an adviser to organisations in various capacities, I have a vantage point into the diversity of support offered to parents in the workplace. I have had to pump breast milk in bathrooms (would you make a sandwich in a bathroom?), once in a Top 40 CEO’s office suite (a lovely gesture aimed to conceal inadequate facilities) or at the airport clinic en route to an institution I knew would be hopeless on that front.

But the worst part about pumping is the product.

A US woman entrepreneur, founder of Naya Health Janica Alvarez, set out to revolutionise the user experience with a smart pump that does not make the hideous sound, collects more milk (and useful data) and is truly portable. But she is reported to be struggling to raise the next level of financing from (male-dominated) venture capital firms.

Global health guidelines are unanimous on the value of breast milk, but financiers fail to appreciate the opportunity to transform the user experience.

Finally, I should mention I’ve begun to make a conscious effort to refer to “parents” in discussions, because they so easily scale down to the challenges facing working mothers. The triumphs and trials of modern parenthood are framed as if men are not part of the equation. It is dismissive of fathers, and families led by men only, to proceed from the assumption that a woman should always be the lead parent.

(Published originally on Business Day on 21 November 2017: https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/columnists/2017-11-21-trudi-makhaya-milk-too-messy-for-sterilised-corporates/)

Categories
achievement advocacy education Featured institutions Media Release Notices Opportunities politics

Challenging racism in South Africa and the US: Introducing the inaugural class of Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity

The Atlantic Fellows for Racial Equity (AFRE), one of six interconnected Atlantic Fellows programs, which together create a global community to advance fairer, healthier, and more inclusive societies, has announced its inaugural 2018 class of fellows. They will begin a year-long program, expanding their work to challenge racism in the U.S. and South Africa and disrupt the rise of white nationalism and supremacy.

Composed of activists, lawyers, artists, scholars, advocates and other leaders, all accomplished in their work to end white supremacy and racism in the United States and South Africa, the fellows will take part in the first of 10 in a 10-year, $60-million program centered on exposing and ending racial discrimination and violence that dehumanize Black people and, ultimately, harm all people.

The inaugural cohort of fellows includes: Obenewa Amponsah, executive director, Africa Office, Harvard University Center for African Studies; Asanda Benya, lecturer, University of Cape Town; Devon Carbado, associate vice chancellor & professor of law, UCLA School of Law; Dara Cooper, national organizer, National Black Food and Justice Alliance; Marisa Franco, director, Mijente; Alicia Garza, special projects director, National Domestic Workers’ Alliance; Dallas Goldtooth, campaign organizer, Indigenous Environmental Network; Mary Hooks, co-director, Southerners On New Ground; Christopher John, chief institutional administrator, AFDA (The School of Creative Economies); Brian Kamanzi, Master of Science in Engineering Candidate, University of Cape Town; Kelly-Eve Koopman, director and co-creator, Coloured Mentality; Talila Lewis, co-founder and volunteer director, Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of Deaf Communities (HEARD); Rukia Lumumba, founder, People’s Advocacy Institute; Ntombikanina Malinga, president & CEO, Sastela; Joel Modiri, lecturer, University of Pretoria; Neo Muyanga, composer-in-residence, Johannesburg International Mozart Festival & the National Arts Festival of South Africa; Marlon Peterson, president, The Precedential Group; Christopher Petrella, lecturer, American Cultural Studies & Associate Director of Equity and Diversity Programs, Bates College; Rasheedah Phillips, managing attorney, Community Legal Services of Philadelphia; Alberto Retana, president & CEO, Community Coalition; Rashad Robinson, executive director, Color of Change; Favianna Rodriguez, executive director, CultureStrike; Siyabonga Shange, youth pastor, Grace Family Church; Holiday Simmons, organizer & transgender rights activist and program manager, Generative Somatics; Michael Smith, executive director, MBK Alliance & director, Youth Opportunities Program, Obama Foundation; Thenmozhi Soundararajan, executive director, Equality Labs; Sarah Summers, co-creator, Coloured Mentality; Richard Wallace, deputy director, Workers Center for Racial Justice; Stha “Sthandiwe” Yeni, national coordinator, Tshintsha Amakhaya.

Author: Atlantic Philanthropies

Posted by: Gabaza Tiba

 

Categories
achievement competition creative economy economic development education enterprise development entrepreneurship Events Featured finance funding Notices Opportunities small business

Polishing your business pitch

Engen Petroleum and Nedbank have partnered with Raizcorp to bring the ENGEN Pitch & Polish programme to cities and towns across South Africa, for the eighth time. The programme helps to educate and grow entrepreneurs.  It teaches entrepreneurs how to polish their business pitch in order to obtain funding.

What type of Pitcher are you?

 

Pitching your business is an essential skill to master in order to grow your business. And, if you want to grow your business, you must be able to pitch it successfully. The way you say things is as important as what you actually say – and could mean the difference between attaining the investment needed – or being turned away. No matter the result, every opportunity to pitch is an opportunity to get better!

 

Now in their eighth year of listening to entrepreneurial pitches, ENGEN Pitch & Polish, in association with Engen Petroleum, Nedbank and Raizcorp, have identified six distinct pitching types. Which one are you?

 

The first three types fall into the category of ‘content pitchers’. These types are either getting it wrong – or right – from a content point of view.

 

The Investor-Ready Pitcher

  • You are the ideal pitcher! Your business case is clear with a defined product or service, which is ready to be taken to customers.
  • You have done your market research and can prove that people want what you are offering.
  • Your sums add up and you can demonstrate a clear Return on Investment (ROI).

 

The Salesman

  • Your pitch is purely sales-focused, with a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.
  • Investors want to see the real you and understand your business – they are far more interested in you, than your product or service.
  • Be real and be honest.

 

The Technician

  • Technicians only want to speak about the finer details of their product or service. They use too much jargon and technical terminology. The result is that the investors’ attention is lost as they stop listening.
  • Investors need the whole picture to make the ultimate decision.
  • Focus your pitch on how your business is going to make money.

 

The next three types fall into the category of ‘style pitchers’. These types are, unfortunately, getting it wrong from a style point of view! When you are confident in what you are saying, you will come across as authentic, credible and authoritative in your field.

 

The Floor-Gazing Dancer

  • These pitchers are so nervous they can’t look the investor in the eye. Instead, they stare at the floor and tend to move from side to side.
  • This pitch is hard work for an investor as the movement is dizzying and lack of eye-contact alienating.
  • Resolve to make a concerted effort to stand straight and look people in the eyes.

 

The Mumbler

  • The mumbler speaks incoherently and softly.
  • If investors cannot hear your pitch, they aren’t going to invest in your business.
  • Practice is key to gaining confidence in yourself and what you are saying. Record your pitch and listen to yourself. Become aware of your fillers and replace them with pauses.

 

The Racing Driver

  • You speak so fast that it is difficult to grasp your business offering and model.
  • This can intrigue an investor if spoken with confidence. However, it often leads to an ineffective pitch.
  • Refine your pitch. Shorten it and select places to breathe and connect with the investors. Plan your pauses. Enunciate clearly.

 

No matter the content, or style, of your pitch, a good pitch tells a story and a good story needs refining and rehearsal. As Alan Shannon, head of Nedbank Relationship Banking Sales, says “anything that distracts the audience from your message makes the message less effective.” To learn how to hook your audience, by creating your best business pitch, come to the ENGEN Pitch & Polish workshop and competition.

Author: Engen Pitch and Polish

 

For a list of this year’s workshops, and to experience the magic of ENGEN Pitch & Polish for yourself, visit www.pitchandpolish.com.

Categories
education human capital inequality youth entrepreneurship

Breaking the cycle of lost generations

Chris Kirchhoff/MediaClubSouthAfrica

IT WAS said of the class of 1976. It was said of the youth who came of age in the early 1990s, just before the dawn of democracy. Each generation was declared as “lost”.

Now, just more than two decades into democracy, another generation faces the grim prospects of unemployment and underemployment. It’s not difficult to understand how human potential was wasted under apartheid. That was the point: to create a marginal underclass to serve an elite.

But it is disheartening to see post-apartheid SA trapped in that toxic cycle of lost generations. Even the born-frees, who were cloaked with so much hope and expectation, have not managed to shake off this term. This is not to diminish the strides that have been made in the past 22 years. Yet, it is clear that the scale of the developmental deficit was underestimated and continues to be under-appreciated.

The dire statistics released by Statistics SA recently on the state of the youth (those between the ages of 15 and 34) challenge the policy approach taken by successive post-apartheid administrations. Further, they underline the true cost of corruption, weak governance and incompetent administration. Under the circumstances, every rand that is wasted is a rand too much.

Continue reading “Breaking the cycle of lost generations”