These are the words of Celenkosini Malinga when he was a 20 year old university student, doing his Diagnostic Radiography course at the University of Johannesburg. As an impoverished high school pupil from a rural community, the odds were stacked against his dreams of a better life, for himself, his family, and his community.
The opportunity for change came in the shape of the Africa Foundation’s CLEF (Community Leaders Education Fund) bursary, a partial funding awarded to promising students within Phinda Private Game Reserve’s Mduku Community. Celenkosini’s mentor and inspiration was his high school teacher, Phumlani Zungu, a previous CLEF bursary recipient.
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