Appeal gets student to varsity

SOCIAL media and technology have proved just how small the world really is – and just how willing people around the globe are to help others if they just ask.

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University lecturer Rachel Chikadaya managed to raise enough money via Facebook and WhatsApp to pay for a Walmer township student's university registration fees.

Chikadaya, originally from Zimbabwe, came up with the idea of asking 25 people to donate R200 each to raise the R5000 registration fees for first-year BA student Bongiwe Chuna, calling her project "25 for 1".

"I met Bongiwe through a mentoring programme at NMMU. I immediately identified with her as we both come from difficult backgrounds with the intention of studying media and we were determined to get there," Chikadaya said. -