Moshal scholarships change lives for students and their families

While many shrug their shoulders with a sense of helplessness at South Africa’s joblessness, the Moshal family, originally from Durban, have taken to educating and ensuring the future of those who would have fallen through the cracks.

Using their own personal funds, through the Moshal Scholarship Program, South African-born entrepreneur and philanthropist Martin Moshal and his family are providing a university education for 513 young people right now. And, they have already helped 453 young people who have since graduated, now in the workplace. Of those, there are 122 medical doctors, 24 vets, and 34 engineers, among other successful graduates.

Their employers include Ernst & Young, KPMG, the health department, Mediclinic, First Rand Group, Dimension Data, and other top South African companies.

The human stories behind this are vast, Moshal Scholarship Program Chairperson Yael Lavie told guests at the organisation’s annual event on Saturday, 3 September.

“Hellen is a chartered accountant working for Makosi,” said Lavie, Martin Moshal’s cousin and the co-creator of the programme. “Hellen still sometimes can’t believe she has already bought her mother the double story house of her dreams. She always remembers the many nights that her and her family went to bed hungry.”

Lavie went on to tell snippets of other incredible stories of the scholars to the audience of dignitaries and past and present students.

There’s Athi, who was born in the Eastern Cape. “I don’t think she believed she would be a successful medical officer when her father pushed her and her sibling out of their home, forcing them to grow up with their grandparents,” Lavie said.

Then she spoke of Tendai, who grew up in a township surrounded by drug abuse and crime. “He’s now working as an electrical engineer, contributing to building his parents’ house in Zimbabwe.”

Siphosethu’s home was burned down when she was a little girl, and her family were left homeless. “In Grade 4, she was her family’s breadwinner,” Lavie said. “She refused to let this experience define her, and today, she’s a project manager at Dimension Data.”

As for Galaletsang, she lost both her parents before she turned 14. “She’s now a senior associate consultant at a management consulting firm and a huge inspiration for her younger brother,” said Lavie.

Sewa is a successful software engineer at Meta in Ireland, after growing up in the North West to a family who were fully reliant on government grants.

Claver was born in Congo, and forced to flee his home and country at the age of 12. “He’s now doing extremely well, working in financial engineering, and was able to get his mother an apartment and provide her with capital to start her own business, earning much more than she ever did before.”

Lavie was integral to the creation and sustenance of this unique programme in 2009. It seeks out unique individuals with potential who would otherwise not be able to get a tertiary education. It doesn’t just support them financially, but offers a holistic support system to give them skills and guidance that will get them through university and enable them to become contributing members of the economy.

“Martin isn’t just a successful businessman, he’s also a social entrepreneur who chose to make a substantial difference in the world,” Lavie said, talking about how the programme originated. “I’ll never forget the moment he approached me with this inspiring idea, saying, ‘I’d like to transform young people’s lives through higher education’. This became part of my life’s mission.”

She said the idea that higher education could transform people’s lives and lead them to financial independence touched her in the deepest way. “I understood the meaning of this and at that moment, I knew I would make it happen.”

Between her and Moshal, they worked on a plan that would allow this dream to become a reality, leading young people on their journey to a completely new reality through higher education.

Today, an alumnus of the Moshal Scholarship Program earns six times more than their family’s combined income in their first paycheque, Lavie said.

Speaking to students and graduates at the event, she said, “You’re changing your reality and that of future generations forever. From an economic perspective, many of you are already – and the rest of you will be soon – part of a generation of prosperous and successful South Africans. What seemed impossible has become your reality.”

In spite of South Africa’s 34.5% unemployment rate, “with a sought-after degree, technological skills, and good English, the world is your oyster”, she said.

“I can proudly say that our Moshal alumni are transforming the economic and social situation of many in the countries in which they live.”