WHEN Sasha-Lee Laurel won the coveted Miss South Africa crown, she at once knew she had to give back to society in some ways. Sasha Laurel has since launched a scholarship fund for indigent students of her country and Africa off R1 billion (about $62.5 million) set aside for this educational project.
In a recent public outing, she revealed that students in her country are not getting adequate funding and support to do all they might do. Her bursary awards are to help as many students as possible. ‘We have students who show promise who are in poverty. And their reality is that there is insufficient funding.’ She has observed.
‘Students don’t find themselves in environments that are conductive to their progressions,’ she says further. She thinks something can be done. ‘So, I actually think it’s critical that we provide solutions.’
It is that pressing urgency to render workable and affordable resolutions that has influenced her bursary provision to the tune of one billion South African Rand. But she didn’t have to do this alone. The former beauty queen sought the partnership of The Regenesys Foundation to bring her pet project to life. The Play Your Part Ambassador wants beneficiaries to leverage the expertise and knowledge available at the Regenesys Business School as they advance their paths in life. In addition, her project aims to align with the Africa’s Union Agenda 2063. This is a programme that the AU believes is ‘Africa’s blueprint and master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future. It is the continent’s strategic framework that aims to deliver on its goal for inclusive and sustainable development.’
Sasha-Lee Laurel wants to contribute to the realisation of the AU’s idea of ‘the Africa we want.” She is convinced her bursary idea across the continent will work, having seen the success of a domestic campaign earlier accomplished in South Africa. African citizens can now access world class business education, paying only $31.26 every month through this initiative she has introduced. ‘Students are not liquid enough to get quality education,’ she says.
Interested African citizens can learn more at https://linktr.ee/SashaLaurel, and on Instagram @sashaleelaurel.
Sasha Lee-Laurel, graduate of Wits University, was crowned Miss South Africa in 2019.
