The South African education system has been hit hard during the pandemic with the future of many young people hanging in the balance.
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has committed itself to providing access to further education and training, by not only supporting students financially, but also providing a refreshing perspective on education with the launch of The Study Buddy Fund. For the 2022 academic year the higher education support fund will pay for the tuition and accommodation fees of seventy academically deserving students from fourteen select host communities across the country.
From support groups, career advice and study hacks to taking care of students’ fees, the Study Buddy Fund’s mission is to make sure the seventy top deserving students have everything they need for a new start and a chance to a successful academic life. CCBSA has been supporting students to access higher education since 2016. Over and above bursaries, the company has also sponsored universities such as Nelson Mandela University of Technology (NMU) and University of the Free State (UFS).
“As a business, we cannot ignore the state of education in South Africa, the extreme challenges the system has faced and how the Covid -19 pandemic has impacted it over the last two years and to recover, we need all hands-on deck. We all know that the growth of any country is linked to its young people having access to good education and we appreciate that, the work of dealing with challenges in our education system cannot rest on government alone. Hence the establishment of our CCBSA Study Buddy Fund to help aspiring students, to give them hope and help them realise their future aspirations,” says Nozicelo Ngcobo – CCBSA Public Affairs, Comms & Sustainability Director.
“We hope that our “holistic offering” will be the ultimate study buddy for our students, accompanying them on their academic journey, providing them with much needed support and helping to keep them motivated along the way. Tertiary education can be overwhelming and daunting for some, having someone who can help you from a touch of a button will make the transition a little easier” adds Ngcobo.
Five students will be selected from each of the 14 host communities where we are located, making it a total of seventy (70) Study Buddy Fund recipients. Host communities include: Tembisa, Freedom Park, Motsoaledi, Tswelopele, Elrichpark, Kensington, Korsten, Ntuzuma, Inanda, Kwamashu, Gomora, Duduza, Ratanda, Seshego, Grabow & Eldorado.
Applications are now open and will close on the 10th of January 2022
See Application requirements below:
Full name
School name
Grade 12 preliminary results / final results
Motivation for why you should receive the funding (no more than 300 words)
Email application to: studybuddyfund@ccbagroup.com
Successful recipients will be informed by the 24th of January 2022.
“Through this initiative, we hope to contribute meaningfully towards the country’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and National Development Plan (NDP), in particular, ensuring inclusive and equitable quality (higher education) for indigent students. We believe this will go a long way towards building educated and capable young people who will ultimately help the country achieve a sustainable and resilient economic recovery. With the right mindset and a collaborative effort, e can support more students and country will grow and thrive,” concludes Ngcobo.
