A chance to study and pursue his soccer career in America may be a lost opportunity for Tawfeeq Cupido (22) from Tafelsig due to a lack of funds.
“After losing my father, my mom does not have the means to send me abroad and that is why I am looking for funding to make my dream come true. I am a student at the University of the Western Cape and studying sports science. In Tafelsig I am surrounded by gangsterism and drugs and I am trying to be a change in the lives of the youth in my community. Where you come from should not be your final destination, there are other options in the world,” he says.
By pursuing a better life in America he is trying to break all generational curses within his family.
“The total cost to make my dream come true is R105 000 and include my plane ticket, visa, insurance etc. I have been playing football for a very long time, played in England as well and with football landed a soccer scholarship at UWC. I am the first family member to attend a university.
“I’ll be in America for around four years or more playing football and studying. Playing in England was a great experience but it was a tough time for me. A month before my departure I lost my dad and wrote my final exams. I know by playing in England and writing my final exams, I made my dad proud,” Cupido says.
He says it is his dream to go to America and he intends to fight and find funding to achieve his dream.
“If someone reads the article and also went through a tough time to achieve his or her goal they will know that giving up on your dream is not an option. I am honestly and humbly requestion for financial assistance and me being overseas will broaden the horizon for future generations from Tafelsig,” he says.
Cupido hopes someone with deep pockets would come to his assistance, open his heart in turning his dream into a reality.
“I don’t intend to give up because of financial constraints. I will persevere because as I said I am definitely going to break each and every generational curse and pave the way for generations to come.
“So the funds I’m raising will cover my flights, my insurance on and off campus as well as on and off the soccer field. It will cover my meals, academic transcripts, NCAA clearing house, books as well as my visa. This has been talked about since 2020 but funds were always an issue and we were hit by the Covid pandemic. My mentor Fagan Muller said that now we need to act stronger on it and actually make it happen despite the odds. I am definitely fighting for this dream, not only to make myself proud but each and everyone who believes and looks up to me,” Cupido says.
- For more information contact Tawfeeq Cupido on 061 884 2045.
