10 SPORT
Sport An unimaginable opportunity “Looking at my background, the greatest gift anyone could give me is my education. Receiving this from one of the best universities in UK is a dream come true.” Have you ever had a dream? An aspiration that you wanted more than anything, but felt it was just that – a goal that was impossible to achieve? Stewart had long dreamed of gaining a university education, and with a passion for football too, he dreamed of doing it at Loughborough. However, with finances acting as a major barrier, he wasn’t sure how this could be achieved.
Taking his opportunity Stewart is from Zambia, where he attends a Christian orphanage called the Fountain of Hope in Lusaka. In the past, Loughborough students have visited the orphanage as part of the Volunteer Zambia programme – a long-standing international sport development project where students and staff volunteer their time to deliver school PE lessons, community sports programmes and health awareness workshops. During 2018, the Vice-Chancellor travelled to Zambia to experience the project for himself. During the visit he met Stewart, and Stewart seized the opportunity to express his desire to join the Loughborough family.
Marking a milestone in a rewarding way
Stewart with the Vice-Chancellor
— “I was delighted to begin a new wonderful chapter of my life. My story should remind any young person getting started on what they want to do that no matter how big a dream is, there is a way of achieving it.” Stewart Scholarship recipient and first year student —
Just a year later, the University was celebrating 15 years of involvement with Volunteer Zambia and decided to mark the anniversary by awarding a one-off full undergraduate scholarship, to bring a student from Zambia to study at Loughborough. Stewart was a stand-out beneficiary of Loughborough Sport’s work through Volunteer Zambia, and his passion for football, photography and media made him an ideal candidate to receive the award. Stewart joined Loughborough in September 2019, starting a social science course with an international foundation year.
The transformational effect of your donations The Zambia scholarship has been fully funded by multiple donations from our supporters, and adds to the significant philanthropic impact Loughborough is having in this part of Africa. This includes major donations received by the University’s Coaching and Volunteering Academy, who help to deliver the Volunteer Zambia programme – amongst other initiatives – all of which shows the huge transformational effect of this kind of support and student volunteering abroad. Last summer, six Loughborough students headed out to Zambia, and, working alongside staff and students from six other universities, delivered sport development programmes to over 160,000 children and six sporting organisations. As a result of their efforts, over £15,000 was raised, three new community sport hubs were established in Lusaka and 20 new Zambian volunteers were upskilled and supported.
