Ayanda Mhlongo on how she raised R2 000 000 for underprivileged students

Launched to help address the ongoing tertiary registration fee crisis being seen among students earlier this year, #R10GoesALongWay was created as a heartfelt response by social media celebrity Lasizwe Dambuza, and friends Nkateko “Takkies” Dinwiddy, Sibu Mabena and creative entrepreneur Ayanda Mhlongo.

After raising R38 000 between the four of them, they went on to ask their families, friends and followers to help – by contributing just R10. As momentum grew, the founders soon realised they would need an experienced partner to assist them both with ongoing collection, as well as with student selection and fee distribution. They reached out to education finance and fund management solution specialist Fundi.

As South Africa’s leading education finance and Fund Management Specialist, Fundi provided fund management services, working alongside auditors Nexia SAB&T to ensure the valuable donations are collected, administered and distributed credibly.

As word of mouth spread, the groundswell continued with corporate sponsors of the likes of KFC, MTN Foundation, the Pick ‘n Pay School Club, Gemelli, Vumatel, Exito, Home Coming Events, African Bank, Chivas, ViacomCBS, Standard Bank and the general public among others pledging large amounts. Students too, started applying for the funding, going through an audited application and selection process on Fundi’s website to determine their need and whether they qualified for the funding.

By the closing date of 25 March 2021, over 19 000 applications had been received by Fundi, with the collective R2.3m raised then being allocated to the registration fees of 106 students who would otherwise have remained “outside the system”.

Donations towards this campaign can be made directly through the dedicated microsite: https://fundifoundation.org/CaseSinglePageR10