The start of the schooling year can cause immense financial pressure on students as they have registration fees, textbooks, rental deposits and so much more…
Cape Town, South Africa – The University of Western Cape has a Fairy Godmother that has been helping students pay for things they can’t afford to do on their own.
Last year we shared the Facebook group’s information so that people in need could get help and people with the means to help, could support students in need.
The Fairy Godmother has kept herself anonymous and uses the platform to connect donor funds to students who need their wishes granted. The typical wishes she receives are for help with food, transport money and study materials. Most students have either accessed bursaries that cover their schooling or they have taken out loans so when it comes to meal time, they are left to fend for themselves.
When we first shared the story last year, one of the wishes a student made, was for money to get study materials printed. The money he had, was needed for transport to and from university and so he needed to make a choice about missing classes or study materials. Thankfully the Fairy Godmother was able to transfer the R160.00 needed to print the materials meaning he got both.
The entire system runs anonymously, each student is issued a number so no private information is ever shared and donors are never named either. By running things this way, the impact is greater. These students know someone out there cares without the ‘charity for publicity’ aspect.
Some donors help specific students while others just donate and the money gets allocated to various wishes. If you would like to get involved as a donor you can contact the fairy via Facebook or email.
We spoke to the fairy godmother and asked which wishes where her favourite and she said,
“My favourite requests are those that fellow students offer to fund (even when I decline their offers). For instance, I posted a request for toiletries, and within minutes a fellow student replied to the post saying she had a spare roll-on and lotion she’d like to share because she knows what it’s like to have to go without. It was very touching.”
We love this concept, offering a little help to our future leaders, doctors, lawyers, writers and more.
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