Clare is a 36 year old single mother of 2. She is the manager of Twaabane Creative Centre, where she leads a team providing skills such as tailoring, basket weaving, textiles development. Clare lives and works with women in a community plagued by HIV/AIDs, gender based violence, inequality, negative cultural practices and now with Covid-19 and its devastating effects on our economy and community. Clare wants to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy.

As Clare writes: “An educated woman can change her world – without it, she may be overlooked, underrated, unappreciated and be unable to attain her full potential. This I feel is the case with me. Earning a bachelor’s degree will enable me to achieve so much more for my people and my nation. The program will give me a voice and platform to advocate for change in my community. It is my greatest desire to impact lives through empowerment programs and education. A degree will enable me to achieve this.” 

When she  first enrolled with Newlane, the Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) was ZMW12 to $1. Since then, the Kwacha’s value has tumbled and traded at ZMW23 to $1 at its peak in July, 2021–effectively doubling the monthly cost. This has meant that Clare has had to pause her studies, and the volatility in currencies make it tricky moving forward.

She writes: “A scholarship with Newlane will enable me to achieve my goal to earn my degree. I believe that a degree will give me a voice and platform to access help for other women in my situation. I desire to be an inspiration to my own children, the children that I teach and to Zambian women at large.”