Help Nik To Pay It Forward

My very talented, bright and hardworking friend Nik Lashley has been awarded a tightly contested place on a prestigious postgraduate course which starts in September 2023. It's an Oxford University Executive MBA, and it costs a lot of money.

There is now a very tight deadline to raise the deposit for the course, which is why we are asking for help. She needs to raise the cash by 14th August. So it's a very tight deadline indeed.

Nik has successfully applied for £30,000 worth of scholarships that will partially fund her studies. But that money will only be TRIGGERED if we can raise the initial deposit.

What a lost opportunity that would be if we don't.

Nik has agreed to a monthly payment plan with the University for the balance of the funds as she will continue to work while studying.

For the duration of the course, she will be studying and working at her day job as a content designer. She is moving out of her flat in London into student digs to cut her expenses.

We are raising funds because she needs, sharpish, upwards of 8 grand to put a deposit on the course.

ONCE THE DEPOSIT IS PAID, THE FUNDS FOR HER PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIP WILL BE RELEASED.

While Nik will use what she learns at Oxford to grow her own business, her long-term goal is to set up a micro-finance and business training mechanism for female startups in the developing world.

If we help Nik go to Oxford, she's going to pay that education forward. It is that last bit that resonated with me and makes me very FOR this undertaking.

I am asking your help to help Nik because ultimately it's not about helping one woman. It's about enabling her to help many women with little or no chance of starting up their own business, to do so.

I've known Nik for over 20 years. I have seen her juggle everything life threw at her. As a single mum, she studied full-time with two small children, no easy feat.

During a time when it was widely known that Black boys from single-parent homes in the UK were more likely to go to prison than university, she gave up everything in England to move to the Dutch Antilles to give her children a better start in life. Recently her son graduated from University himself, so her intuition to do the best for her boy paid off.

By helping Nik go to Oxford, we help to send a message to every woman out there. This is, no matter what your age, race, circumstances, or educational background...with grit and graft you can attain your highest dreams.

But none of us can do it alone.

Not only are we helping Nik, but your contribution will ultimately touch the lives of the thousands of women Nik will inspire, train, and eventually fund. That's a real investment in the future.

I would urge you if you have anything to spare, and I know times are tough, to help me help Nik to help women in the developing world gain financial independence.