UJ raises R147 million for missing middle students
AUCKLAND PARK – The University of Johannesburg raised R147 million for its students over one weekend through the Future Walk and a fundraising dinner,
The University of Johannesburg (UJ) students, lecturers, parents and the community all joined in to participate in the UJ Future Walk despite the cold weather.
The walk was an initiative to raise funds for the university’s missing middle students. About 2 000 participants walked the 5km or 8km route which started bright and early on Saturday, 20 May.
The participants started their routes at the AW Muller Stadium, through the Auckland Park Bunting Road campus and out onto the streets of Auckland Park. They wore white t-shirts, sporting the slogan ‘UJ Future Walk’.
The more adventurous participants went the extra mile to stand out from the crowd and wore fairy wings and other accessories. Participants of all ages got involved. Children in prams and some four-legged friends also joined in to raise funds and awareness for the missing middle students.
Between the walk and a fundraising dinner on 19 May, the university had raised a total of R147 million. The UJ Future Walk generated more than R2 million from sponsorships, participation entries and SMS pledges.
“The funds will assist approximately 3 000 students,” said Nolwazi Mamorare, executive director of financial governance and revenue at the university.
She explained that UJ opened a call for applications from students with a financial need and those who demonstrated good academic performance, through the Student Representative Council Trust Fund. A total of 4 861 students qualified through this process and were awarded funding for registration this year. The university made a commitment to raise funds to assist these students with the balance of their fees.
“These are the students that will benefit first from these funds. We do, however, continue to receive requests from students, highlighting that the need is much higher than those that applied at the beginning of the year,” said Mamorare.
She added, “While we are excited and grateful for the generosity shown by our partners, the need remains huge and we will continue to work hard to mobilise more funding to ensure that we assist as many students as possible.”
The first UJ Future Walk was held in 2015 and was set to be held each year. However, last year’s event was postponed due to the #FeesMustFall protests.
This year, the walk was a success and participants enjoyed music by Heavy-K Drumboss on the decks when they completed their route.
You can also read: UJ raises R1 million for fees
