Twenty-two aspiring students will be receiving R10 000 towards their tertiary education this year as part of the VOC Bursary Fund. In a bid to plough back into the community which it serves, the VOC Bursary Fund has managed to this year, raise over R200 000 to invest in within the young scholars.

All contributors and beneficiaries will be honoured and celebrated at the bursary hand over on Wednesday at the Burnley Lodge in Rondebosch.

Heading the Bursary Fund, VOC’s Nijmah Hayet explained that sponsors from the local community had contributed generously toward the initiative.

“The South African National Zakah Fund (SANZAF) contributed a whopping R85 000 towards the fund. Auric Auto Claremont’s Siraaj Mia managed to cycle 1000km during a period of time, braving diificult weather conditions, to raise awareness and support from their fellow corporate investors. In addition, the Ommiedraai Walking Club made the Bursary Fund its beneficiary for the club’s first race day. All these contributors, along with the money raised from the VOC Family Ratanga Day has made this bursary hand over possible for us,” Hayet said.

The VOC bursary is not only limited to the youth, it aims to encourage an initiative to complete further education from any qualifying individual within the community. Hayet told VOC that it has already funded the studies of women who decided to complete their tertiary education after marrying and raising their children and at the same time, offering hopeful, underprivileged matriculants an opportunity to further educate themselves in their respective choices of career fields.

“The applicants for this year are all very different from all very different but each have shown us their unique potentials. We have some furthering their education in Islamic Studies, media, medicine, law and much more. From one hundred applications, we could unfortunately only choose twenty this year,” Hayet added.

While potential applicants are encouraged to listen to VOC for word on the next opening of VOC Bursary applications, Hayet further appealed to members of the broader community to show their support by contributing to the Bursary Fund.

“We have to secure the future success of individuals within the local community and ultimately, end the vicious cycle of poverty,” she said.

She expressed her gratitude to the independent bursary panel, Kashief Marcuss, Gasant Emeran, Husain Emeran and Imam Edries Mohammed for their hard work and sacrifice in the selection of recipients. Hayet further thanked all sponsors for their generous support in VOC’s efforts to invest in a brighter future for young people. VOC (Ra’eesah Isaacs)