Bursary: A word of hope for any aspiring student. It conjures ideas of hard work, and reaping the rewards of effort put in. Via Afrika is thrilled to announce that this past Friday, one such aspiring student’s dream came true.

Jimmy Nevis’ Blue Collar Foundation has announced the first recipient of its new bursary programme. In partnership with Via Afrika, the foundation aims to provide educational opportunities for young South Africans by providing a learner from the matric class of 2015 with a bursary to help fund to further his or her education.

Nevis’ brainchild and passion project, the Blue Collar Foundation, looks to inspire change and create opportunity for South Africa’s youth, allowing them to reach beyond the limits of their socio-economic backgrounds.

The new partnership with Via Afrika focuses on the awarding of the first Jimmy Nevis Bursary to a learner who wishes to pursue an education in the Humanities. Explaining the decision to partner with Via Afrika, Nevis says: “For understandable reasons, throughout a child’s school-going years and particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds, the primary focus is to get them to pass matric and into a tertiary institution. This is seen as a path out of poverty and a track to a better future. The downside, however, is that this blind focus on that one track fails to account for what happens after you achieve it, or if you don’t achieve it.

“If you do achieve this goal without the proper guidance that CareerCompass can provide, a tertiary experience can turn out to be a wasted opportunity studying towards a career you don’t enjoy or love.  Additionally, for the many learners for whom attending a tertiary institution is not a possibility, the app can also assist in guiding them towards other paths they can take.”

Recognising the necessity for this kind of assistance, Via Afrika has undertaken to donate R20 000 towards the Jimmy Nevis Bursary recipient’s undergraduate studies during the student’s second year and again R20 000 toward the student’s study fees in the third year on condition that the student achieve performance requirements.

Christina Watson, CEO of Via Afrika says, “As it is, getting into a tertiary institution is difficult enough. This is only compounded if socio-economic realities were stacked against you throughout your life. Having overcome all those challenges, finances should not be yet another barrier to further education.

“The humanities teach us how to think creatively and critically, to reason, and ask questions. These skills can give new insights into everything from poetry, to economics, and politics. Solutions to the myriad challenges South Africa faces may very well be found in a learner looking to get into this field of study. As such we are happy and grateful to be afforded the opportunity to make this contribution to The Blue Collar Foundation’s Jimmy Nevis Bursary.”

Watch Jimmy, Christina and Savannah discuss the bursary: