Three friends teamed up and founded the Msaada Trust in 2012 to help needy students at Stellenbosch University.
To make a positive difference and offer less privileged students the chance of a good future − this is the motivation behind the Msaada Trust, founded in 2012 by three friends, among them two Maties. The Msaada Trust offers bursaries to Matie students who come from single-parent homes, are under financial pressure and perform well academically.
“More and more students are being raised by single parents, who therefore often experience more financial difficulty, which includes funding further study. “Msaada is a Swahili word meaning ‘help’, and we chose this name precisely because this Trust helps students who need it,” says Dr Renier Putter, a founding member and a former Matie student.
“I always wanted to plough back and, with the help of my friends, who all have a connection with Maties in one way or another, this is exactly what we are doing now,” says Renier, who is currently practicing as a dentist in George.
His co-founders are Matie alumna Retha Meyer (born Brink), who completed her BAcc and BAcc Hons in
2005 and 2006 respectively, as well as Ilse Botes. “Retha and I both studied at Maties and Ilse’s two children, Johan Botes and Liesel Nieuwenhuizen (born Botes) are both Matie alumni of the Faculty of
Theology,” he explains.
According to Renier, the idea of a bursary fund began in 2012. It took them quite a while to complete all the administrative tasks and to register with all the right institutions. “Our first bursaries were finally allocated in 2014 and have been allocated thereafter on an annual basis. The Trust is also registered with SARS as a Section 18A entity, which means that funds donated to the Msaada Trust are tax-deductible by the donors,” he explains.
Renier believes that the bursary fund is a practical way of being involved in supporting students and of making a tangible and positive difference. He emphasises, however, that they do not simply donate money to nameless individuals but that it is important for them to build a relationship with the bursary recipients.
“It is important to us that a relationship develops over time between us and the students. With a bursary fund, we know exactly who the students are who are being helped by the fund and we believe that this makes it more personal and gives it a greater measure of sincerity.” The Trust has already provided three students with partial bursaries in 2014, six in 2015 and three in 2016.
In 2017, two students benefited from the bursary fund. “At the moment, only part of a recipient’s studies is covered, since our funds don’t enable us to give full bursaries. We are, however, working on being able to provide deserving students with full bursaries in the future.”
He says that the plan is for those students who have been helped by the Trust to also help a future generation of students by becoming donors themselves once they have graduated. “We all realise the positive impact that sought-after graduates can have on the South African society and on the economy.
“Msaada Trust is our way of making such a contribution to a prosperous South Africa. “Our hope is that there will be more of us who will come forward to make a difference in a similar way,” says Renier.
“We are most grateful for the support from the Msaada Trust who have decided to partner with us to create a shared future for all Maties. They are, as all our other donors, truly a net of support for students striving to reach their highest potential,” says Karen Bruns, Senior Director: Development and Alumni Relations, the division tasked with raising much-needed funds for the University.
She says the assumption that all SU students are from affluent backgrounds is incorrect.
“Substantially more than a third of our most recent graduates received some form of financial assistance during their studies. And it is fascinating to see how this has changed over time.”In 2000, 28% of Maties received some form of financial assistance. By 2014, this was up to 38% of
our students. And last year, 41% of our students were from the so-called missing middle, i.e. from households with a combined income of R600 000 or less per annum.