29 January 2020
Lady Luck is smiling on Cape Town teenager Ammaarah Creighton who wrote her matric exams whilst she and her family struggled a tough year of being homeless and almost penniless.
Against all odds, the Trafalgar High School pupil achieved a bachelor’s pass which allowed her to enrol at university.
Just when her dream of pursuing tertiary education seemed remote because she would not be able to afford the university fees, she was approached by MANCOSA private higher education institution and offered a study bursary.
Even more wonderful for 18-year old Ammaarah is that she has been offered a part-time job by MANCOSA while she studies for the Bachelor of Business Administration degree.
The well-spoken young woman whose pastime is Latin and ballroom dancing for which she has Western Province colours, said she was still coming to terms with the change of fortune in her life.
“The final year of schooling was a real struggle. Both my parents were unwell and unemployed.
“I also have a 22-year old sister and an eight-year old brother.
We were forced to move from one house to another. Presently we live in a converted garage in Salt River. There are no partitions. We cook, eat and sleep in the same space.
“Studying was difficult as there was no separate room where I could concentrate. However, I was determined to do well in the matric year as I wanted to be a teacher. I love children,” Ammaarah said.
“Despite all the difficulties at home, I am thankful that I attained a good pass.
“While I could not follow my dream to be a teacher, I am so overjoyed to have been offered a bursary.
“MANCOSA does not offer education courses in Cape Town so I opted to study Business Administration. The bonus is that MANCOSA has also offered me a job as a trainee administrative assistant. This will help my family tremendously,” she said.
Nuhraan Sambo, MANCOSA Associate Director in Cape Town said she was touched by Ammaarah’s plight and decided MANCOSA should offer her a life-changing bursary and a part-time job.
“Her determination to succeed in life despite the obstacles in her path convinced my colleagues at MANCOSA and I that she would be a worthy recipient of a study bursary.
“Since Ammaarah will be studying part-time, and was experiencing financial difficulties as there was no steady income to take care of the family’s basic needs, we also offered her a job.
“We hope that Ammaarah’s dedication to her studies will help as an inspiration to others to achieve academic success even in the face of hurdles,”
she said, adding there were plans to offer education courses in Cape Town, like they are already being offered in Durban and Johanesburg.
Ammaarah said her parents had always insisted that she must have faith in a higher power and must never give up.
“I am most grateful to MANCOSA for giving me this wonderful opportunity to further my studies whilst earning a livelihood to keep the home fires burning,” she added.
ENDS
ABOUT MANCOSA
MANCOSA, a leading provider of management programmes through supported distance learning in Southern Africa, is ranked among 10 of the best providers of MBAs in Africa. MANCOSA is a member of Honoris United Universities, the first pan-African private higher education network focused on nurturing the next generation of African leaders and professionals. With 12 learning centres across the SADC regions offering 74 programmes, MANCOSA serves as an innovation hub for executive education and postgraduate management programmes. A selection of 25 Executive Education Short Learning Programmes is also offered to meet the requirements of professionals in both the private and public sectors. See: www.mancosa.co.za
For queries or additional information call 031 300 7200, email [email protected] or visit https://www.mancosa.co.za/.
Issued by:
Yogin Devan
Meropa Communications(031) 201 0550 / 083 3263962
On behalf of:
Honoris United Universities