Have you ever wondered why some Universities always appear to have “extra” funds to support needy students by offering bursaries/scholarships, and to support initiatives such as providing meals to needy students?
Many times, these are older well-established institutions where the culture of giving has been ingrained in the psyche of staff, alumni and members of the convocation of these institutions.
We, at SMU, have now taken a conscious decision to primarily sensitize our staff, students, alumni and convocation that they must be the first port of call when it comes to fund raising efforts for our needy students. Our view is simple: that unless we ourselves become champions of giving, nobody else will believe in our calls to fund raise. If we don’t believe in the cause ourselves, why should anybody else? It is for this reason that we, recently, launched the SMU Harambee Annual Fund which has been well received by our staff, students and alumni.
The spirit of Ubuntu and giving is part of our DNA. It is a long known African tradition that a child belongs to the community and hence the adage:
“It Takes a Village to Raise a Child”.
Our students are our children; and SMU is their community which is expected to contribute towards their growth and development. To our SMU staff, students, alumni and convocation, I passionately call on your virtue
and sense of community and belonging! Let us nurture a spirit and culture of giving by providing a safety net for our vulnerable students by giving them a sense of pride and dignity. I urge you to support the SMU Harambee initiative!
Ways to give
1. Payroll donations
2. Online donations: https://smu.devman.co.za/devman/online/giving/
3. Pay Scan – Zapper
4. SMU banking details Ref: Standard bank, Acc: 070754128, Branch code 020909, Q013 – Name Surname
Contact Details: Mr. Sbusiso Gwala: Institutional Advancement Officer |
Department: Communications and Marketing
Unit: Institutional Advancement
Email: sbusiso.gwala@smu.ac.za
Cell: 073 069 0428
