East Coast Lions has assisted four pupils in 2016 with bursaries totalling to R70, 000 towards their tertiary education. The bursary recipients were were Zamanguni Myeni and Mondli Dladla of Sinethezekile High School in Jozini as well as Luvisha Roopnarain of Greenbury Secondary and Trisha Chunder of Woodview Secondary.
The bursary awards were presented at a recent Lions fundraising dinner held at the Jewish Club at which a further R110, 000 was pledged towards the East Coast Lions Bursary Fund. The recipients all excelled in their Senior Certificate Examinations producing ‘A’ aggregates and were accepted to study at universities but had no means to finance their studies.
An ecstatic Luvisha Roopnarian said, “I was accepted for BCom at UKZN but I had no idea how I was going to pay for my studies. I cannot believe I am now a first year student.”
Zamanguni shared that it was her dream to become a pharmacist but didn’t know how it was going to happen. Nonetheless, she knew that academic success starts with good matric results. “I will always be grateful to East Coast Lions for taking a huge burden off our shoulders. Now I can focus on my studies without worrying about my fees,” said a very grateful Zamanguni, who is from a rural village in the Umkhanyakude District.
Trisha Chunder will be pursuing a teaching degree specialising in high school mathematics and Mondli will be studying Pharmacy at UKZN. The most relieved at the announcement of the bursaries had to be the parents. These are all single parents struggling to provide for their families in the depressed economy.
Three past recipients of East Coast Lions bursaries are already on their way to completing their BAcc, BEd and BSc degrees. The students commit to ‘paying it forward’ by participating in Lions service activities and assisting other students in need. East Coast Lions President, Mr Rajan Naidoo stressed the importance of investing in our youth, especially in the scarce skills areas, as a means to uplifting our communities. He also expressed his gratitude to all the sponsors who annually donate so generously towards the Lions Bursary Fund and stated that, “This has changed the lives of so many young adults and has enabled them to fulfill their dreams”
The East Coast Lions is part of Lions International, a service organisation with over 1.35 million members worldwide in over 208 countries (www.lionsclubs.org). In addition to helping financially needy pupils, East Coast Lions is also engaged in numerous service related projects involving feeding schemes, assisting abused women, clothing programs, etc. Interested donors and sponsors are welcome to contact the President, Mr Rajan Naidoo on 031-305-2253.