The Helping Hand Study Trust (HHST) collected R50.3-million worth of funds during 2021, which will realise approximately 1 000 study dreams in 2022.

Stefan Pieterse, head of the HHST, said during Monday’s press conference the record amount of study aid results from the public’s giving nature and the trust that more than 200 independent donors have put in HHST.

HHST is a platform of Solidarity Helping Hand that allows donors to make prospective students’ study dreams a reality through interest-free study loans. They receive a tax benefit, as well as the opportunity to build a meaningful legacy. Interest-free study loans are awarded on the basis that students who complete their studies pay back what they have borrowed, with no interest or additional hidden costs.

Money that is collected is then used to fund the study dreams of other students in need. R50.3-m comprises donations that were received during 2021 (R28.98-m) and money that was collected from students who have graduated (R21.3-m). HHST has invested R232-m in approximately 6 000 students over the past 10 years.

Pieterse said he hopes to see the value of the HHST reaches R1-billion by 2030 and believes the progress they have made this year is a big step in the right direction.

During the conference, Flip Buys, head of the Solidarity Movement, emphasised the importance of training and education to empower the youth. He said it is the most important investment with the highest yield. He further stated finances shouldn’t stand in the way of any student and his/her study dreams.

Hannes Noëth, the executive director of Solidarity Helping Hand, said the unemployment rate is the highest that it has ever been in South Africa, causing a lot of negativity and concern amongst the youth.

According to Noëth, one of the most powerful ways to curb unemployment is through education and training. That is, according to him, why Helping Hand is grateful that it could cross the R50-m mark in 2021. This is the first time in Helping Hand’s history that this has happened.

Noëth also said empowering students is about a lot more than providing financial aid; it is about ensuring a future and providing them with the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and escape the cycle of poverty. He said he is proud of the trust’s management team for reaching this milestone and is excited to see what the future holds.

Also Read: Support Solidarity Helping Hand to help those in need

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