By: Natasha Archary

Lea Schafer, Head of Fundraising and Communications at student crowdfunding platform Feenix, joins Gugulethu Mfuphi on Kaya Biz to talk about how community involvement can change the future for aspiring students.
The Cape Town based company has changed the lives of 3 934 students by raising R182.69 million to date.
Launched in June 2017, Lea says Feenix was a response to the country’s desperate #FeesMustFall movement which highlighted the plight of thousands of students across South Africa.
With the cost of education consistently on the rise, Lea says access to education should not be dependent on wealth.
“At Feenix we believe access to education should not be based on wealth and since 2017, we’ve raised over R182 million and impacted almost 4 000 students.
We’ve partnered 26 public universities, connecting tertiary students in need with donor communities looking to make a difference through a secure crowdfunding platform.
In 2021, Feenix won the Cap the Gap Prism Award for raising R3.5 million to equip 403 students with data and digital devices during lockdown in 2020.
Our founding partner, Standard Bank shares in this belief and without their financial support and guidance, Feenix would not be in existence today.”
Lea encourages communities to get involved in tackling the student funding crisis which can help dismantle educational barriers and foster a more inclusive society.
Students who are struggling with their academic fees are advised to reach out to Feenix.
In 2020, Feenix expanded its impact with WaFunda, a Feenix Social Enterprise which is 100% owned by the Feenix Trust and is an Exempted Micro Enterprise (EME) as defined in the B-BBEE Act.
Listen to the conversation on Kaya Biz:
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