Radha’s most transformative opportunity, a scholarship to study at Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa (UWCSA), comes from the support of the Global Fund for Women (GFW). Her curious mind and love of all things STEM - from astronomy to robotics - are gifts inherited from and nurtured by her mother. Her self-awareness, work ethic and determination have been honed over a hundred broken strings, all the way to a seat in the Chamber orchestra. UWC is proud to highlight Radha’s story in honour of International Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day (8 March). 

A life-changing opportunity at UWC

Radha’s story begins with her mother, whose strength has been a cornerstone in Radha’s life: “My mum has always been a fighter. She was the first woman in her village to get a degree, and she fought hard for me to have the opportunities I have now, including this scholarship to UWC. Education is a priority for my family, even when we are struggling financially. During a particularly tough time, my mum heard about UWC from a colleague and that was it.” 

But for Radha, UWC represented more than just an academic opportunity. It was a chance to challenge her worldview and push her to grow in ways she could not have imagined back home in Mozambique. “It’s not like home,” Radha says, reflecting on the diversity of cultures and perspectives she’s encountered. “You meet so many people, you are immersed in a different culture, you come to understand different perspectives, and you get so many unique opportunities - that’s what I love about it.” 

Radha's passion for STEM and robotics

For Radha, one of those unique opportunities was the ability to participate in STEM activities. Radha’s curiosity for STEM precedes her arrival at UWCSA - she’s passionate about tinkering and hands-on projects. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Radha spent her free time teaching herself to code. “I really like learning about new things,” she adds with a quiet smile. 

While the sciences have piqued her interest since she was young, it wasn’t until she arrived at UWC that she truly found her niche - robotics. “The thing that has captivated me, that has really caught my mind, is coding and robotics,” she says. At UWC, Radha has been able to dive into these fields through her Community, Action and Service (CAS) activities, an experience that has solidified her love for STEM and helped hone her leadership skills.

Breaking barriers for women in STEM

Radha’s growth in this area has been remarkable, particularly considering the lack of opportunities for girls to participate in STEM back in Mozambique. Radha's background in Mozambique has shaped her perspective on gender equity in STEM fields. While she has always been interested in science and technology, she acknowledges that it is still relatively uncommon to see women represented in engineering and other technical disciplines in her home country.

“Back home, we don’t get to run the kind of events that we have here,” she reflects. This difference in opportunity has allowed her to not only excel in robotics but also to discover a hidden talent for logistics, something she found while organising large-scale events for the school. 

Since arriving at UWCSA, Radha’s love of the violin hasn’t waned - she even performed at a recent meeting for Africa’s UWC national committees - but her interests have expanded further. She is involved in the UWC Investment Club and the choir and now plays rugby and tennis. 

For Radha, the idea that none of this would have been possible without scholarship support from the Global Fund for Women (GFW) is never far from her thoughts. GFW’s mission to support and empower girls and women in Sub-Saharan Africa is aligned with her own goals of breaking barriers and creating opportunities for girls back home. 

Inspired by her stepfather’s work with young homeless people, Radha has developed a keen sense of social responsibility. “Seeing the injustice in my country firsthand through my stepfather’s work made me realise how much I want to help,” she says. “Especially the girls.”

Mozambique, like many other countries in the region, faces challenges related to gender inequality, particularly in fields like engineering and STEM. Radha wants to change that narrative.

Changing the perception of women in engineering

With GFW’s backing, Radha has been able to pursue her passion and is determined to use her education and experience to give back. “I want to fix the education system back home,” she says. For Radha, this means improving access to education and making English language learning more accessible. "I think people overlook that language is connected to justice. When you only know Portuguese, you become geographically confined. It's easier to grow and to promote equality and goals when you know a ‘universal’ language. There are still people who will say that a woman's job is to take care of the house and that educational opportunities will interfere with that, but at least that attitude is decreasing back home; people are becoming more progressive in Mozambique.”

Radha’s time at UWC has not only furthered her English skills and shaped her academically but also ignited her passion for leadership. UWC students are encouraged to take the initiative, an environment in which Radha has thrived. She credits the school for fostering an atmosphere where students are empowered to be changemakers.

Radha’s leadership extends beyond her immediate community as well. She is driven by a desire to see more women in Mozambique enter STEM fields, and she is committed to creating opportunities for them to do so. Whether through mentorship or advocacy, Radha’s goal is to inspire other girls to follow in her footsteps and break into male-dominated fields like engineering. 

As she looks to the future, Radha’s ambitions are as diverse as her talents. She plans to study biomedical engineering, with her dream universities being Carnegie Mellon and Cornell. Radha has also expressed a deep interest in combining her love for STEM with social good. She dreams of using her engineering skills to create technologies that can help solve real-world problems, particularly in underserved communities like those in Mozambique.

In her words, “I just want to help people.” And with the foundation she’s built at UWC, coupled with the support from GFW, there’s no doubt that Radha will continue to do just that - helping others and creating change, one step at a time.

Written by Samantha Gayfer, Director of Strategic Development at the Discovery Group.