From Manual Work to a Media Degree: Help De klerk Finish His Final Semester

My name is De Klerk ,33 years old, living in Chipata, Eastern Province, Zambia. I am a Fourth-Year student at Information Communication University (ICU), pursuing a BA in Mass Communication. I’m writing this not just to ask for help, but to ask for a hand-up to cross a finish line that has been 13 years in the making. My journey to education has not been easy. After finishing high school in 2013, financial difficulties kept me out of tertiary education for nearly a decade. I didn't give up. In 2021, I enrolled at Cavendish University, but financial constraints forced me to drop out. I picked myself up again and enrolled at ICU. Since 2023, I have been sponsoring myself through manual work and low paying hustling. I currently work for a media organization, but the government recently suspended our operations for alleged political affiliations. This suspension has cut off my only source of income. Being grade 12 only can’t earn me any Job. I was supposed to defend my research in September 2026 and graduate in December 2026. I am ready academically, but I am blocked financially. I am unable to find stable employment because, without a degree, I am locked out of the professional job market. I need this degree to widen my chances of getting a job so I can adequately support myself and my family. At 33, I am asking for a chance to stop doing manual Labor and low paying jobs to start contributing to the media landscape in Zambia with the skills I have learned. The deadline for fees is fast approaching. My inability to pay means I cannot defend my research, and I’m already at risk missing the December graduation. Missing this window, my years of hard work may be lost. Your donation isn't just paying a fee it is validating a 13-year struggle. It is telling a 33-year-old man that it is never too late to achieve his dreams.