The University's Development and Alumni Relations Division (DAR) has recently launched the #Maties4Namibia Bursary Support Fund to ensure that Namibian Maties – all of whom meet the academic requirements for entry into their chosen courses – are given top-up financial support to cover the cost associated with their degrees.

"By offering top-up bursaries to these talented students, we ensure that we contribute to knowledge production on our continent, thereby retaining the University's commitment to excellence," says Karen Bruns, DAR Senior Director.

“With the world economy still bearing the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic, current funding models do not meet the needs of a growing student cohort and overstretched university budgets. The rapidly changing higher education environment in South Africa represents a shifting economic landscape that calls for the development of new models for financing student support.

“Many of our Matie families were adversely affected during the pandemic. This is also the unfortunate, grim reality for many Namibian Maties as there was a clear need to create a fund that could support financially needy Namibian students with either registration fees in the beginning of the year or help to settle student debt by the time they graduate," adds Bruns.

According to Randall Adams, fundraiser at DAR, the University’s records show that there are currently 270 Namibian students with little to no source of funding for their studies in 2022. "By the end of December 2021, their accumulated debt stood at just over NAD 8 750 098."  

Adams says the first objective is to help final-year students who were able to register this year but cannot afford to cover all their student debt by the time they graduate in December 2022. Secondly, the fund aims to assist returning students to register for their academic year in 2023.

"We are asking our alumni and donors in Namibia to partner with us by making a donation to this newly-created Fund. It is only through a collective coming together that we can help our young people reach the pinnacle of their success,” says Bruns.

Individuals who wish to donate to the Fund from outside of South Africa, can make a payment into our First National Bank public sector cheque account. The account number is 62107177083, the branch code 200610, and the Swift code FIRNZAJJ. 

Please use your name, surname and #Maties4Namibia as reference when sending proof of payment to the Fund project coordinator Randall Adams at adamsr@sun.ac.za.

For more information about #Maties4Namibia, please contact Randall Adams on adamsr@sun.ac.za or +27 79 297 6547.