FEM invests R750 million in education

Francois Pienaar and MAD Scholars

The FEM Scholarship Programme will see 37 students awarded scholarships providing comprehensive financial and personal support to assist them through high school and their first tertiary degree. This initial sponsorship amounts to an estimated R49 million, with the possibility of FEM allocating additional funding for scholarships in the following years. The first 37 applicants are currently being confirmed for 2017.

Founded by former Springbok captain Francois Pienaar, MAD Leadership Foundation focuses on leadership development through education. The approach is to identify academically talented scholars, who do not have the necessary financial resources, and offer them integrated support in the areas of education, mentorship, leadership and life-skills development.

Comments Pienaar, "This partnership is a very exciting time for Make A Difference Leadership Foundation. It entrenches what we have aimed to achieve and builds on what we have been working towards, that is to develop long-standing, mutually beneficial partnerships with corporates who share our values and goals. This allows us to create sustainable educational opportunities for young people with leadership potential who do not have the financial resources to afford a good education, thus providing hope to many scholars at a time in South Africa where such help is so desperately needed. This partnership presents to us an opportunity to expand our reach to identify, develop and support even more deserving young leaders year-on-year, allowing us to dream bigger for South Africa. We challenge and encourage corporates from other industries to step forward, as FEM has done, to invest in education and ultimately help grow your industry through a new generation of leaders."

For more information, visit www.fema.co.za or www.madleadership.org.