Celebrating 10 Years of Amazing Impact!

Waterford's Advancement Director Elizabeth Mhangami addressing participants of the 2019 Together for Development short course on Waterford campus.

I have passed my 6-month milestone and I wholeheartedly believe that coming to Waterford Kamhlaba was the best decision to make on my journey as an advocate for youth and in particular African youth. Having spent the last 8 years working with youth in entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe the biggest lesson I learned is that for youth to be successful in Africa they will need access and social capital.

In my first week here I met two young people Judith and Nqobile, who happen to be Zimbabwean, and they come from places in Zimbabwe where access to many resources, especially education can be unattainable, what more a Waterford Kamhlaba education. It was in that moment of meeting the two students, that the penny dropped for me on what my purpose is here at Waterford and that is to continue to create access for young people in Africa.

I have been immersed in an exercise of listening and learning about the community that makes up Waterford Kamhlaba and I have been on a mission to find what makes this experience of learning in this community unique and important for the young people – your former selves - who walk through these gates so important. Education plays a significant role in improving the socioeconomic conditions of individuals and communities, and the impact of a Waterford education is to begin to equip young people like Judith and Nqobile to significantly improve the lives of their families by giving them access. The multiplier effect of attending Waterford makes investing in a student at Waterford remarkably valuable and I am so pleased to be counted among those who make this opportunity accessible.

Many thanks to those of you who write to me, to share your ideas on how we can improve as an Advancement Office, please continue to stay in touch. I will be traveling to the US and the UK on behalf of the college in September/October and I would love to meet some of you in person. I will share my travel dates and my itinerary in a few weeks and I hope to connect with you.

Elizabeth Mhangami
Advancement Director

This year marks 10 years of our partnership with the Higher Life Foundation (HLF). This partnership has been life-changing for many students who would have not gotten an opportunity to receive an international education. Together with HLF, we have educated academically gifted yet disadvantaged students from 4 African countries namely, Burundi, Lesotho, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. Since 2008, more than 100 HLF students have graduated from Waterford and proceeded to leading universities in different parts of the world; including in the US and Europe.

This continues to be a historic and impactful partnership because of the mandates of the two institutions. HLF is committed to building communities and sustainable livelihoods through giving opportunities to talented yet underprivileged African students to pursue an education and, on the other hand, the Waterford Kamhlaba Scholarship Fund is the school’s most powerful tool to ensure that we fulfill our goal to make education accessible to students from across the world with diverse backgrounds. As we begin the final Term of the year and before we pop the champagne to celebrate the final chapter for some of our HLF students or the beginning of a new chapter for some, help us celebrate the 10th anniversary of this partnership.

In the second term we had a number of activities such as Regional Entrance Testing, alumni events, 24 Hour Run, UWC Africa Week including Visual Arts Exhibition and Tin Bucket Drum, the Dick and Enid Eyeington soccer tournament, Careers Fair and Nyatsela. We would like to thank our alumni who have supported these events in various ways. It is always a pleasure to see quite a number of you engaged with the school and its operations. Thank you. This is in line with the UWC Pledge which encourages alumni to give to UWC according to their circumstances in terms of time, treasure and talent.

A big thank you to the alumni who came back to give their time during the send-off for the IB Class of 2018. The event was held at the Millin in Mbabane, eSwatini. We wish our newest alumni the best of luck as they start at university.

Left: Kwabena Sarfo-Panin (Ghana, WK 06 - 11)

Kwabena Sarfo-Panin
(Ghana, WK 06-11)
"I graduated with an MA in Systematic Theology from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and will be starting a PhD at Princeton Theological Seminary. I am forever indebted to WK for such a solid educational foundation and a really fun high school experience."

Nyani Quarmyne
(Australia, WK 90-91)
Nyani’s journey to join the Waterford community is one that aligns, quite well, with the life he has created for himself through his career. “I was desperate to escape from the incredibly backward, anachronistic school system in Zimbabwe in the 80s”, he says, so when WK English teacher Robin Malan visited Nyani’s secondary school, “that was the beginning of my connection with Waterford”. Read more

Thanksgiving: Alumni in North America!
In 2017, the Advancement Office initiated the Thanksgiving Initiative aimed at bringing WK Alumni together during this season. We are doing it again. We are asking our alumni to sign up to host a WK alum (or 2 or 3). This can come in the form of opening up your house or coordinating a Thanksgiving meet-up. If you, or someone you know, are willing to host please fill out this form or email Nosimilo.

Article by Eithan Kotkowski (USA, WK 07)
Our alumnus, Eithan, from El Paso, Texas whose hometown was devastated by a mass shooter recently wrote an article outlining a fundraising effort to help in the situation. In the true spirit of UWC values, he urged everyone to focus their energy, outrage, and frustration to help the victims and the families of those affected by the shooting in the El Paso community. Please have a look at the article.

International Labour Organization
The International Labour Organization has an opportunity for Research Proposals on Labour Markets and Resilience in the Caribbean. Read more

A few weeks ago, it was announced that Stephen Lowry would be stepping down as Principal at the end of 2020. Waterford is beginning the search for a new leader and we will be engaging our broad community of stakeholders in the process. As a donor, we are hoping you will be able to assist in one critical way.

We are clear that in order to have a strong pool of outstanding applicants we need to cast our net as far and wide as possible. Often, the best candidates are not actively seeking a new role. We will need to find and then encourage them to apply. We are hoping that if you know of potential candidates, or if you are aware of potential sources of top quality candidates, you will share your thoughts with us. Any suggestions will be warmly appreciated. Please email your suggestion(s) to the Chair of Governing Council at your earliest convenience.

If you have any questions about the process we intend to use to select our next Principal, we will be glad to share an overview with you. Thank you for your assistance in this critically important process.

-- Mark Mills, Chairperson of the Governing Council

Alumni Newsletter 2019/03

Greetings Waterfordians!

Celebrating 10 Years of Amazing Impact

IB Class of 2018 Send-off

Alumni Profiles

Shout-outs!

Opportunities

Help Us Search for a New Principal

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