Living the Dream: Alutho's Story

In a nation where having money may seem to be the only way to pursue an education, Alutho is breaking the mold, serving as an example to her peers and siblings as she studies and prepares for her dream career: being a lawyer.

As a young child, Alutho remembers her father telling her about the amazing potential one has as a lawyer - to help defend the innocent and represent the rights of the people. He encouraged her to think about studying law, wanting her to dream of an opportunity that was never available to him.

Holding on to her Father’s encouragement, Alutho kept dreaming and pressed forward. She was brought up to be a strong and independent woman and is now living the dream that her father helped inspire. Alutho is now in her first year of studying law at University of Western Cape, taking classes that will help prepare her to practice family law.

After watching a TV program about abused women and children, she became motivated to help those who get into situations where they feel trapped. “I would love to be able to give them a voice,” Alutho said. With her degree she wants to empower her community by advising them about their rights, showing them the power and voice they actually have.

Although classwork may be strenuous at times, Alutho loves being a college student. “My favourite thing about being a university student is the respect people give me when I tell them I’m at University, because its hard to get here and I did it! I also like knowing that I’m a couple of years from living my dream life and being the person that I want to be,” Alutho said.

With her scholarship from TNHF, she can focus on her studies without stressing about the expenses for tuition, textbooks and transportation. “I can now work on being the strong, independent woman that I want to be one day, all thanks to These Numbers Have Faces.”