​Through the support of the South African National Zakáh Fund (SANZAF) a total of 56 students at Stellenbosch University (SU) have in 2016 received bursaries to the value of more than R570 000.

SANZAF is a faith-based, socio-welfare and educational organisation that strives to facilitate the empowerment of needy families through the efficient collection and effective distribution of Zakáh (the purifying of one's possession of wealth by distributing a specific amount to the deserving).

The majority of the recipients of the 2016 bursaries are students at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS). At a ceremony recently held at the faculty, where representatives from SANZAF handed over a cheque to the value of R570 662, Mr Ismail Matthews of SANZAF said that the organisation treasured its association with SU and would like to continue to work with the University.

Matthews is a champion of the SANZAF Education Empowerment and Development (SEED) project. Through this project and its Bursary Fund, SANZAF aims to uplift and empower young people and focus on knowledge and skills training. Matthews said that recipients of the bursaries were not expected to repay the money, but that they are in turn expected to give back via, amongst others, volunteer work.

Prof Jimmy Volmink, Dean of the FMHS, said he would like to express his deep gratitude for the many years over which SANZAF has supported SU and FMHS students. "Worldwide the gap between the rich and the poor is only getting bigger. You have a very admirable model. The concept of challenging people who receive assistance to give back is a beautiful idea. If we could do more of that as a country, we would be much better off."

Ms Yasmina Franke, the SANZAF General Manager in the Western Cape, said the organisation was very excited about its relationship with SU, as it had more than doubled the number of students it supported at the University over the last five years. "We hope to grow this relationship further and encourage students to see SU as an institution of choice," she said.

Photo (from left to right): Ms Aneesah Rylands, Mr Ismail Matthews, Ms Yasmina Franke (all SANZAF), Prof Jimmy Volmink (FMHS) and Ms Faeza Govind (SANZAF) at the event.