Post-school support
As Back to School children come to the end of their schooling, E3 is enabling them to go on to university or training so they can escape the cycle of poverty, achieve their career dreams and support their families. Most children who complete school in rural communities stay at home after high school because they do not have access to information about universities and colleges in the city and have no idea where to begin.
E3 has formed a partnership with the University of KwaZulu-Natal to run Career Expos in rural communities so young people (both those supported by E3 and others too) are informed about the options open to them, how to apply, bursaries and why it is important to continue their education. All the young people on Back to School express a desire to help others through their future professions and many wish to serve back in the communities where they grew up.
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Ibrahim David sent us a video update from university in the US. E3 is so proud of his achievement, so excited for his future and so privileged to play a part in his story.
Please note: you can choose to cover the transaction fee if you give by debit/credit card online in SA.
A gift of £218* enables a disadvantaged South African student to register at university and receive a full bursary
An annual registration fee of £218 (USD 272 / ZAR 4360) unlocks a full scholarship for their tuition fees (around £2,500 a year) and accommodation, living expenses and textbooks through the Access programme. The fee must be paid for each year of their studies. E3 supported 15 students in 2024.
Back to School children can never afford that fee so E3 is raising money to cover registration each year for the duration of their course.
For refugees it is more complicated, but we are currently researching the options open to them, and some of them will be eligible through the Access programme.
Other ways to support young people post-school
E3 recognises that for some, university is not the right next step. We are currently exploring how we can help young people resit key subjects, access vocational training or set up a small business through microfinance. We do not want their journey to end when they leave school – without our support young people do not have the information or money to find the right way forward. E3 believes it is our role to support them through the next steps so they can earn a sustainable and comfortable living and provide for their families.
There are encouraging statistics to show why it is worthwhile to help Back to School students study at university …
“Students on the Access programme [i.e. those from a disadvantaged background] do better in their studies than students on the mainstream programme.
National Statistics reports that only 30% of students that do mainstream studies finish on time, 50% drop out, 20% vanish in the system.
About 90% of students that start with the Access programme graduate on time, 50% reach postgraduate and 10% can do PhDs.
The access programme qualifications were the second highest after medical school qualifications in terms of education output and graduation rates.”
Mr Feruzi Ngwamba, Access Programme Co-ordinator and Community Liaison Officer of the College of Humanities, UKZN
Helen is an orphan and has been raised by her grandmother. E3 enabled her to start studying Geography, Geographic Information Systems and Town Planning at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in January 2022.
“Greetings. I am loving university life. I keep the lessons I received from Inceboyenkosi Like Skills in my heart. Being at university is one of my great achievements and I'm proud of myself that next year I will be doing my final year. I'm thankful for people like you who always check on me and see how I'm coping. In my course we do many things: creating maps, checking soil, studying rocks, etc. My favourite part is creating maps because I want to be a Town Planner. I am doing my best and passing all my modules. While studying I needed to de-stress, so I played soccer, and I was selected for the university team. Thank you so much.”
