24 December 2020

GOOD WISHES TO SCHOLARS FROM TRUSTEES

Dear Langalanga Scholarship Professionals and Scholars,

Jambo. On the eve of Christmas Day, I email to pass on my greetings and those of Trustees and to wish you well for the festive period and new year. It has been an extraordinary and very difficult year, in which I know that you have all had to demonstrate great fortitude and character in managing the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic. It will have touched all of us in different ways, but as I look back, I am enormously proud of the way that you have all coped and continued to do the best in your studies and in support of your families in very trying circumstances.

Whilst the year has been difficult there is still much to celebrate. Whilst learning has been badly disrupted for many of you, we have still managed to adjust the nature of support to better enable online learning and support you through these difficult times. I have been very pleased to hear about some excellent results from final year students and many others who have completed their exams. And we will still continue to support those of you where there have been delays so that you can give your best.

We have been helped by many sponsors and new donors who have contributed to the charity and by the leadership team in both LLSA and LLSPA collectively who have been an enormous help in advising and helping us support you. Trustees are enormously grateful for the work that they do giving their time willingly to ensure that you get the support that you deserve and to help fix the many issues that arise. I have also been really pleased about the significant role that the LLSPA has taken up to assist administer our secondary scholars and in support of scholar alumni where they have needed advice, mentoring and financial support for those in greatest need. Your bond as a family of scholars is important particularly in a time of crisis and so continue to do all that you can to support one another.

A vaccine is rolling out in the UK and will be available across the world over the next year. There is therefore real room for optimism that this virus will be beaten. Stay strong and as I have said many times Trustees are very keen to ensure that everyone is able to complete their education, despite the knocks that might arise.

I hope that you can now have a happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas holiday and can enjoy a much more settled year in 2021. Please keep in contact and let Mrs Smyth and I know about your progress. Stay safe.Do have a very happy, healthy and peaceful Christmas and let us hope that 2021 can allow everyone to work towards making the world a better place for everyone.

Best wishes,

Geoff Nield

Chairman LLT