From Dry Wells to Climate Solutions: Sky Mubonderi's MSc Journey
Growing up in a rural farming community in Zimbabwe, Sekayi "Sky" Mubonderi experienced first-hand the realities of drought and water scarcity. Recurring dry periods were part of everyday life. Wells would run dry, and obtaining water often meant spending long periods pumping boreholes before water would eventually begin to flow.
These experiences sparked an early interest in climate resilience, water security and sustainable development, interests that would later shape both her professional career and postgraduate research.
This year, Sky will graduate with distinction from the MSc in Climate Change and Sustainable Development programme at the African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI), University of Cape Town.
Sky entered the programme with a background in Chemical Technology and professional experience in environmental sustainability, ESG reporting and compliance. Through this work, she became increasingly interested in how climate change intersects with issues of equity and social justice.
"I became interested in how climate impacts are unevenly experienced across communities. They also highlighted the need for practical, evidence-based solutions that advance both resilience and climate justice."
Motivated by these interests, Sky pursued postgraduate study to deepen her understanding of climate adaptation and resilience while developing the research skills needed to contribute to sustainable development challenges in Southern Africa. The interdisciplinary nature of the programme allowed her to engage with both the environmental and social dimensions of climate change, including questions of equity and access to adaptation opportunities.
For her MSc dissertation, Sky explored household groundwater use in Cape Town, focusing on the motivations, practices and implications of borehole and wellpoint ownership as a climate adaptation strategy. She was interested not only in why households invest in private groundwater, but also in what increasing reliance on these systems means for resilience, water governance and equity in the city.
For Sky, the topic brought together several of her key interests, including climate adaptation, water security and social justice.
"Cape Town’s experience of drought, and the increasing reliance on alternative water sources, provided a valuable context to examine how adaptation strategies can both enhance resilience and raise important questions about inequality, access and sustainability."
Like many postgraduate students, Sky's journey was not without challenges. Balancing postgraduate study alongside work, family responsibilities and other personal commitments required determination, persistence and careful time management. As a single mother, she navigated the demands of research while also raising a young family, making the completion of her degree an achievement that extended far beyond the university. Securing funding to support her studies also required navigating different opportunities.
The academic journey brought its own challenges. The MSc required her to engage with unfamiliar research methods and develop new analytical skills.
"Learning qualitative data analysis using NVivo was particularly challenging at first, but ultimately strengthened my confidence in working across both qualitative and quantitative approaches."
Sky credits much of her success to the support network that surrounded her throughout her postgraduate journey. In particular, she highlights the role of her supervisor, Dr Anna Taylor, whose guidance and encouragement provided both academic direction and opportunities for professional growth.
"The guidance and encouragement of my supervisor played a particularly important role, providing both academic direction and opportunities for professional growth. Through specialised NVivo training, support with research dissemination, and opportunities to present my work to academics and practitioners, I gained valuable skills and confidence as a researcher."
These experiences helped her grow not only as a student, but also as an emerging researcher able to communicate her work beyond the university setting.
Sky also credits UCT Libraries for providing excellent resources and support throughout the research process. Equally important were her fellow classmates, whose diverse perspectives, discussions and shared experiences helped create a stimulating and engaging learning environment.
Throughout the degree, Sky remained motivated by the practical significance of her research and its potential contribution to climate resilience, water security and social justice.
"Staying connected to the real-world relevance of my research and its potential contribution to climate resilience, water security and social justice kept me motivated throughout the programme."
Receiving news that her dissertation had been awarded a distinction was particularly meaningful.
"Receiving the distinction was incredibly rewarding, as it represented much more than a final mark. It reflected months of balancing research, professional commitments and personal challenges while working on a topic I care deeply about. It felt like a meaningful validation of the effort, persistence and support that shaped my journey."
For Sky, the distinction recognised not only academic achievement, but also the perseverance required to balance work, family responsibilities and postgraduate study.
Looking ahead, Sky hopes to develop parts of her dissertation into a peer-reviewed publication. She remains particularly interested in continuing work at the intersection of climate adaptation, water security and social justice, with a focus on developing solutions that are both effective and equitable.
She is also considering pursuing a PhD in the future.
"The MSc has strengthened my interest in research and reinforced my belief in the value of evidence-based approaches to addressing climate and development challenges in Southern Africa and beyond."
Reflecting on her experience, Sky encourages prospective postgraduate students to choose research topics that genuinely matter to them.
"Choose a research topic that you are genuinely passionate about, especially one that connects to your values, interests or lived experiences. There will be challenging moments, but having a meaningful reason for undertaking the research will help sustain your motivation."
She also encourages students to embrace opportunities for growth, seek support when needed and trust the learning process.
"Be open to learning new skills, asking questions and embracing opportunities that come your way. Engage with your peers, make use of the support available through your institution and trust that growth often happens outside your comfort zone. Most importantly, be patient with yourself and celebrate the small milestones along the way they eventually add up to something much bigger."
Sky's journey demonstrates how lived experience can inspire meaningful research and highlights the important contribution that emerging scholars are making to addressing climate and development challenges in Southern Africa.
