Update on the UCT COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund:
The University of Cape Town (UCT) has set up a COVID-19 Emergency Fund to assist in the fight against the virus and its impact on the UCT community. The goal is to raise R 20 million towards addressing urgent priorities related to staff and student well-being during and after lockdown.
The university’s COVID-19 response efforts to date have included activities such as providing transportation for students who needed to return home ahead of lockdown, disinfecting buildings as they were vacated, sourcing laptop computers and arranging their delivery to needy students, providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to essential staff members who needed to remain on campus, and purchasing data bundles for students to enable them to study from home. These responses will continue to evolve once staff and students begin to return to campus over the next weeks and months.
Urgent financial support is required to manage immediate impacts on UCT staff, students, and groups. Thus the university is seeking R 20 million to address ongoing urgent requirements relating to staff and student safety and wellness. We are extremely grateful to the donors who have already contributed more than R 8.2 million towards these efforts. The university appreciates these kind donations coming from institutional donors including corporates, charitable foundations, alumni and staff. The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng, demonstrated her personal support by donating 20% of her salary to the fund for a three-month period. Other members of the UCT executive and several members of staff are also supporting the fund.
A donation of any amount will go a long way towards helping our students complete their academic studies so that the UCT community can contribute to the restoration of our country. It would indeed be life-changing if the university can reach our goal of R20 million.