Makgasago Lekgothoane

 My name is Makgasago Lekgothoane and I am from Nobody Village near Turfloop in Limpopo. I completed my matric at Makgoka high school in 2011 but my results were not very good, so in 2012 I registered at Hwiti in Limpopo to upgrade Geography and Life Sciences. My marks improved and so in 2013 I registered for a pre-nursing course with Healthnicon Nursing College which I completed in six months. I wanted to pursue a career in nursing but I could not start my certificate course in 2013 because my mother was not able to pay for my fees as she was already paying for my sister’s fees at the University of Limpopo and her salary was not enough to cover both my sister and my fees. So I spent more than a year after completing the pre-nursing course looking for a bursary, which was not very easy to get because my matric results only allowed me to study towards a certificate and many sponsors support only students who go to university. This is when I heard about Adopt-a-learner and the fact that it has helped many students. In 2014 I found Prof Phakeng’s telephone number and called her. At first it was very difficult because it seemed as if she was not interested in my story. But I kept phoning and each time I called she asked me a different set of questions until one day she asked to speak to my mother. After speaking to my mother she called to tell me that Adopt-a-learner will be paying 50% of my school fees and my mother has agreed to pay the other 50%. I was very happy. All this happened without meeting Prof Phakeng. She paid the money straight to Healthnicon Nursing College and I started in November 2014. So far things are going well and I am passing my assignments. I will be studying here at Healthnicon Nursing College for two years and when I finish I will get a Certificate in Nursing which will allow me to work as a staff nurse. Thereafter I plan to register for a Nursing degree with Unisa.

I am very happy that the challenges that I faced did not dilute my intention to pursue my education. I want to be an example for other students like me who come from poor families. Challenges are opportunities in disguise. With every difficulty I face, my determination to succeed grows. I know that the gap between my problems and my success is the initiative to be persistent in asking for help. Thank you to Adop-a-learner for making my dream come true. Very soon I will be a nurse.