The second semester kicked off with a bang at the University of Pretoria (UP) Hatfield Campus with UP-Topia, an activation that encompasses Giving Matters, THE UP WAY and Make today matter. Over the next two weeks, students and staff at the Mamelodi, Groenkloof, Prinshof and Onderstepoort campuses will also take part in the festive UP-Topia activations, part of which are aimed at raising funds to help students in need of financial aid.

Giving Matters is a three-year fundraising campaign aimed at raising R100 million by 2024 to supplement UP’s day-to-day fundraising projects which offer financial assistance to “missing middle” students. These are students whose families earn enough just to disqualify them from NSFAS funding but don’t earn enough to afford higher education. The campaign raised R19.3 million and reached 456 donors in 2022 and plans have been in motion to meet and exceed the 2024 target.

“This is an exciting day for the UP community and we encourage every person, organisation and company to help us live by our motto, Make Today Matter, by collaborating with us this Mandela Month and donating as little as R10 towards the improvement of a young person’s future,” said Interim Vice-Chancellor and Principal Professor Themba Mosia.

“As a leading university that always strives to make an impact in our communities, we are encouraged by Nelson Mandela’s quote that, ‘Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,’ and we use this occasion to do our bit.”

The Giving Matters campaign aligns with UP’s strategy to:

• Enhance access and successful student learning;
• Strengthen the University’s research, international profile and global engagement;
• Foster and sustain a transformed inclusive and equitable university community;
• Enhance institutional sustainability; and
• Strengthen the University’s social responsiveness and impact in society.

Through UP-Topia, students learn about the opportunities, resources and services available to them, which are specifically designed to unlock their potential and support them throughout their student journey.

“UP-Topia has been an amazing discovery for me. I still cannot believe we have nutrition, mental and psycho-social support for students, but many of us do not even use these services,” said BCom student Hlori Chauke, 21.

“This shows that UP cares about its students because, besides academics, students stress about many things. For me to be at these exhibition stalls and learn so much about these services we can access for free gives me goosebumps. Giving Day, on the other hand, impresses me beyond words of gratitude and admiration for these guys.”

You can donate through the Giving Day platform – www.givingday.up.ac.za – and the online credit card facility by going to www.up.ac.za and clicking on Giving to UP > Ways to Give > Online Credit Card Donation. If you are a UP staff member, you can also use “Payroll deduction” on the UP staff portal to make a donation.