Bishop Simeon Trust

CIDA City Campus, Johannesburg

“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”

- Nelson Mandela

South Africa has one of the worst university graduation rates in the world, and less than 5% of the majority black African community in the country has a degree. Around 50% of students drop out of university due to financial or academic pressures. But in downtown Johannesburg there is a beacon of hope for aspiring students.

CIDA City Campus on Commissioner Street is a unique, almost-free university offering high quality business and commerce degrees to talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Bishop Simeon Trust has been proud to support a handful of students at CIDA since its inception in 2000, recognising that equipping black South Africans with business and management qualifications is essential for South Africa’s future economic success.

A four year Bachelor of Business Administration degree is on offer at CIDA City Campus, which uses the latest information technology together with the freely given expertise of lecturers from some of South Africa’s leading business companies to keep costs low. The degree prepares students for careers in accountancy, banking, commerce and many other entrepreneurial fields, and CIDA has strong links with many commercial companies who recruit graduates directly from the institution.

Overheads at CIDA are kept to a minimum by each student agreeing to carry out a job on campus, from cleaning to reception duties, library and canteen work.

Another unique feature is that each place at CIDA is conditional upon the student committing to some form of voluntary work in their own community during time off. Some students choose to conduct their own programme of HIV awareness in their old school; others – having learned about finance and borrowing at CIDA – begin savings clubs back home. In reality the choice of activity is their own, but participation is carefully monitored by CIDA.

At present, the Trust is sponsoring four students at CIDA: [names & photos needed here]

Current Needs:

Very few students arriving at CIDA can afford to pay fees, and many borrow heavily from their low-income families to pay their living costs. The institution can sometimes arrange for a student to be sponsored by a company and occasionally by charities like the Bishop Simeon Trust. The cost is surprisingly low, at just £1,400 per year including both fees and living costs.

If you would like to become a sponsor of a student, and can commit to three years*, please contact us. Bursaries can be paid annually or at the rate of £120 per month by standing order, and reports will be provided at least once a year.

* Sponsorships are not arranged until the second year, after the student has settled and passed Year 1.

For more on CIDA visit their web site: www.cida.co.za