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USC student awarded for charity initiative
Recognition was furthest from Matthew Wilshere’s mind when the University of the Sunshine Coast student founded the first Kiva charity group at an Australian university.
The 21-year old Bachelor of Science student, who lives at Sippy Downs, was recently awarded the annual Lambert Innovation Prize by donors Bruce and Dorothy Lambert for his efforts in reducing poverty.
Kiva is a non-profit international organisation which enables people to lend as little as $25 to help individuals in developing countries establish a way to earn an income.
Matthew said he felt compelled to become involved with Kiva after learning about it while studying the subject Public Health Foundation at USC.
“I saw that there were a lot of American universities that had set up their own Kiva groups, but no university in Australia had,” he said.
“So far we have 10 members from USC and have loaned out $250 which has helped people in nine different countries.”
Matthew said that $250 might seem like a small amount by first-world standards but as little as $25 can change the life of a person living in a third-world nation.
“There was an example where a woman needed a small machine to crush peanuts and, with a Kiva payment, is now making a living by making and selling peanut butter,” he said.
Matthew was one of 21 students to receive awards at a recent USC scholarships, bursaries and prizes ceremony.
USC’s Foundation Executive Officer Andrew Pentland said the University welcomed the support for undergraduate students in the form of scholarships, bursaries and prizes.
“Scholarships, bursaries and prizes are vital to the University in attracting and retaining the brightest minds and supporting those students in financial need,” he said.
“We understand that meeting the cost of education can be challenging but we also recognise that the investment into young people’s participation in education today has the potential to reap rewards for the remainder of their lives.
“Student awards provide financial assistance so that our students will have more time to dedicate to their studies and pursue their careers.”
— Michelle Widdicombe