More than thirty students in various fields of study, ranging from musical theatre to civil engineering, received a Sea Harvest Foundation bursary during a handover event in Saldanha where the company is based.
The Foundation awards bursaries every year as part of the fishing company’s commitment to social transformation and empowering the youth within the Saldanha Bay area. Bursaries to the value of R297 000 were given to 31 students, the majority of whom are female. The Sea Harvest Foundation invests around R1 million annually into community projects and other initiatives aimed at benefitting Saldanha Bay and the surrounding area.
“With so many promising students applying for bursaries, we decided to almost double the budget we had initially set aside this year,” commented Sea Harvest’s Operations Director and Foundation Chair Terence Brown, speaking at the handover ceremony where he added that they were inundated with bursary applicants.
“Our primary focus, as a Foundation, is on developing communities, local business and sports within schools, as well as supporting local government health services and empowerment through education.”
The bursary recipients, some of whose parents are employed by the company, are all from South Africa’s West Coast region. Terence Brown explained that no restrictions were made regarding certain fields of study.
“Our intention is not to look after our own interests or to merely tick a box. We are invested in the Saldanha Bay area and we want to make a difference on a large scale. So, while funding a course of study in musical theatre or land surveying may have no direct benefit for our business, it can be of value to communities within the Saldanha Bay Municipality.”
Most of the students have received funding from Sea Harvest for consecutive years. One such bursary recipient is Lise Barnard who is in her seventh year, studying towards a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Stellenbosch.
During the handover event, the students were encouraged to make their education a priority despite many challenging social issues competing for their attention. They were encouraged to strive to become leaders who will positively influence the environments within which they will one day operate.
