Village boy with big dreams
A young man with a dream to get a degree and make his mother proud succeeded in landing a scholarship to study international development studies overseas
LIMPOPO – Rudzani Mamphweli (25) grew up in a rural village, Tshitavha in the Nzhelele area. He was raised by a single and unemployed mother and had to travel approximately 4 km to school every day. At a young age, he resolved not to allow his disadvantaged background to stand in the way of his plans and today he is studying toward a Master’s degree at the Palackeho Univerzita in the Cech Republic.
“Despite the challenges I encountered, which included travelling long distances to and from school, I was a learner who took my schoolwork seriously. This is why I managed to achieve such good results in matric,” he explains.
After school he enrolled for a B.A. degree in social work at the University of Venda (Univen), and after completing his undergraduate degree, he enrolled for an honours programme in sociology in 2015.
“I was lucky to have received a scholarship from the Department of Social Development to further my studies as my mother wasn’t in a position to assist me financially. I applied for a European-funded scholarship to study my master’s degree in Europe. I was overjoyed when I received an e-mail which informed me that my application was successful and that I could continue my studies in the Czech Republic. It was a dream come true,” he continued.
He is currently a Master’s degree student in international development studies at Palackeho.
“My message to other youths in South Africa, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, is that they must work hard, dream big and make use of whatever opportunity comes their way. I urge all postgraduate students to apply for international scholarships as the opportunity broadens your career horizons,” he concludes.
