MASERU – THREE students left Lesotho to further their studies in the United States last Friday, thanks to a sponsorship deal from Higherlife Foundation.
The three students, Teboho Motselekatse, Lerato Takana and Abiel Shetlane, have received sponsorship from Higherlife Foundation since their high school days.
Higherlife Foundation is an organization that seeks to support disadvantaged children. It is sponsored by Econet Telecom Lesotho (ETL).
Motselekatse will study Pre-law and Financial Accounting at Methodist University while Takana will go to Harvard University to study Applied Mathematics.
Shetlane will be at Lake Forestry College to study Finance.
Higher Life Foundation was founded by Strive and Tsitsi Masiyiwa in 1996 out of their personal convictions as well as their personal experiences of orphan-hood.
ETL, through Higherlife, has sponsored 1 195 students in Lesotho since 2011.
ETL Chief Executive Officer, Dennis Plaatjies, said the three joined the foundation during their high school years.
He said then they went to Waterford Kamhlaba College in Swaziland to further their studies in International Baccalaureate (IB).
“Higherlife Foundation helps students achieve their dreams by helping them go to schools,” he said.
Plaatjies said Higherlife Foundation is the ETL social impact investment organisation that gives hope to its scholars by helping them achieve their dreams.
He wished the three scholars well in their academic endeavours and encouraged them to work hard and make the country proud.
“We hope that when you come back, the country will benefit from (your skills),” he said.
The Minister of Education, Professor Ntoi Rapapa, said the government appreciates what ETL is doing especially when they are able to send the students abroad for education.
He said the government through its scholarships programme under the National Manpower Development Secretariat (NMDS) can only send students to study in neighbouring countries.
“That is because the budget is not enough to send students to far away schools,” he said.
Rapapa urged the students to work hard especially because the courses they have applied for require hard work.
He said they should come back after completing their studies and make the country proud.
Rapapa said even if they decide to look for jobs elsewhere rather than Lesotho, they should grab that opportunity because they will be able to help Basotho even when they are there.
’Makhotso Rakotsoane