Alumni Initiatives
Making Education Inclusive conference, University of Malawi September 2010
Alumni Kudzai Shava, Zelma Mokobane and Francis Simui all presented at the Making Education Inclusive conference held by the Trust in September 2010. The conference brought together Malawian educationalists, students and government representatives as well as alumni from across the region. It was a fantastic opportunity to share ideas about how education can be made accessible to all. Alumni Grace Ntaote and Mada Chamba also attended, as did Canon Collins Trust scholars currently studying at the Faculty of Education. Scholars Vincent Mitambo and Dinah Katonda were also among the presenters. If you are an alumnus working in a similar area of education, do get in touch and we will connect you to the network.
Learning through Literature event, SOAS, London, May 2010
Alumnus Ret'sepile Makamane from Lesotho joined a panel of South African authors for the Learninng through Literature event. It celebrated 25 years since the publication of Journey to Jo'burg, a children's storybook by Beverley Naidoo which brought the anti-apartheid message to a young audience.
Ret'sepile sat on the panel alongside Gillian Slovo, Njabulo Ndebele and Michael Rosen, to discuss the power of literature to foster social change. Ret'sepile is in the process of writing her first book. Her story Be Careful was shortlisted for the Orange/Harper's Bazaar Short Story Competition in 2010. http://www.orangeprize.co.uk/show/feature/home/orange-2010-news-harpers-winner
Graça Machel Women's Leadership Retreat November 2009
Canon Collins Trust alumni Zeenith Ebrahim, Ben Matai, Hendrick Mabunda and Stephen Mavundla all attended the recent women's leadership retreat hosted by Graça Machel in Johannesburg and attended by 40 Graça Machel scholars. The 40 scholars represent some of the most talented and inspirational young leaders in southern Africa today. Alumni played a key role by providing individual mentoring to two scholars each, offering guidance and advice to help them progress in their chosen field. This is a role that they will continue to provide over the coming years as their scholars gain profile and influence.
Special thanks goes to Rudzani Muloiwa who kindly provided his photography services throughout the weekend.
Alumni event in Johannesburg, November 2009
Thank you to all those who attended the recent alumni event in Johannesburg! The event welcomed alumni from all over South Africa and took place at the University of Witwatersrand. We hope you enjoyed yourselves and look forward to seeing you again soon!
Zambia alumni network launched!
The Zambian Canon Collins Trust Alumni Network was officially launched in April this year! Nchimunya Monde (who studied Accounting and Finance at Leeds, 2007-8) has been voted the group's president, and among the network's targets are to sponsor a Zambia student, and hold regular talks with invited speakers. If you would like to contact the Zambian group or have ideas for an alumni network in your own country, please get in touch.
Francis Simui - Promoting Inclusive Education in Zambia
Former Canon Collins Trust scholar Francis Simui has launched Zambia's first ever Inclusive Education network, raising awareness of the importance of making education accessible to all children, including those with special needs. The launch of the network attracted a huge amount of interest and was attended by pupils, teachers, parents, school managers, Ministry of Education representatives and health and social workers. Many teachers present at the launch described how they had previously excluded disabled children from their lessons, but said the event had provided them with the knowledge and confidence to support the educational needs of all children.
During his study for a Masters in Inclusive Education, Francis volunteered for the Enabling Education Network (EENET), and the insights he gained from the experience inspired him to set up a Zambian branch. With resources supplied by EENET and funding from Canon Collins Trust, Francis has been able to realise his dream, and is working to make education for all a reality in Zambia.
"Using my Masters in Inclusive Education I will be able to contribute to the reformation of the education system in Zambia to a level where ALL children will have access, meaningful participation and be able to realise their potential. The aims of my project are two-fold - firstly to build the internal capacity of EENET Zambia, and secondly to help Zambian schools analyse, reflect, document and share their experiences on how to include all children in education."