The Lions Club of Kirstenbosch awarded Jack Segall bursaries to 20 pupils from poor communities, to help cover school fees and other related costs.
The fund was started in 2016 in honour of the club’s founding member, Jack Segall, and has assisted 39 pupils since then.
Pupils from Mount View, Fish Hoek, Spine Road, Ned Doman, Fairmount, Norman Henshilwood and Thandokhulu high schools and the School of Hope were presented with their Jack Segall Bursary Awards at the Lions club house in Newlands on Wednesday January 16.
Lions president Rehana Khan Parker said it was wonderful to see how the pupils had excelled in spite of their often difficult circumstances.
“I wish our pupils the best for the year ahead. They are the future ambassadors of giving back and have to pay it forward for other pupils,” she said.
The club’s Ann Barr said many parents not only had difficulty paying school fees, but even those from non-fee paying schools could not afford their children’s school transport.
School of Hope Grade 11 pupil Shekinah Makanga said one of his teachers had nominated him for the bursary because he believed he deserved the opportunity.
Shekinah said the bursary would lighten the financial burden on his mother.
“I’m honoured to be a recipient as not many pupils get this opportunity,” he said.
Matric pupil Mbasakazi Songololo, from Spine Road High School, said the bursary motivated her to work harder and showed that hard work paid off. She plans to apply to study at Harvard University next year.
Thandokhulu High School matric pupil Precious Ndulukane said the bursary had eased the family’s financial burdens, and she thanked the club for its support.
“There are no words to describe how grateful I am to the club for this bursary,” she said.
