MY OWN SCHOLARHIP

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dreamt of setting up my own scholarship. As luck has it, an opportunity presented itself in 2011 december. A cute little girl was to start Grade 0, and without hesitation I grabbed the opportunity and pledged to take this cutie to school. Last week was the last installment of fees that I paid to the small private school she is attending. To say I am proud of myself is putting it mildly...no its putting it ice cold. Huge pat on my back.

How I'm setting up my own scholarship

I’ve been working very hard on my online income to be able to fund similar ventures. Giving is just one of the things I strongly believe in. I don’t think there is much that can compare to giving someone good education. This experiment has helped me gain a much needed dose of confidence in myself. I guess 2013 is a year of double dosage of that because I have already identified a little boy starting Grade 0 next year. I don’t necessarily plan to add a child every year unless my online income doubles by the end of 2013. I don’t even go searching for such opportunities. I only let them present themselves. I also don’t know if I will be able to carry on post matric with my current learners. I will also monitor the parents’ financial situation. When the parents get to a better financial position, they may be able to take over and I replace the child with a new bursary holder.

I pay tuition directly to the school bank account(s). Parents take care of the small bits. I wish this venture grows every year. Educating the children in need is one of the causes closest to my heart. I realise that I have to formalise this kind of venture next year. I feel so WOW already now. It feels like a huge achievement for me. My learners won’t have to repay any of the bursary, but if I were to take them to university, I would have them agree to also take a child though university as a way of giving back.

Since I actually didn’t formalise the formation of my own scholarship, I decided to look at my “to do” list into that formalisation. I don’t want to hire any professional, any attorney or accountant. I’d rather give that money to another child.
I don’t know if I will set a formal foundation or just some interest bearing bank account where part of my online income goes.
I have automatically identified my target group. The age group I start with has no previous academic grades to base my selection on. They are just kids who are short of cash.

Like I already mentioned, I only cover tuition for now. This is the highest chunk of the school fees. I will also help with the random extra mural activity payments.

I don’t really need applicants for now. I enjoy identifying my beneficiaries. And living in South Africa, opportunities to do so are everywhere.

Hope this inspires you to set up a scholarship of your own, or to give towards your own cause of choice. If you were to go the bursary route, who would be your target group? I would love to hear from you; I love comments.

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