Johannesburg - The Beast Foundation and Rugby au Cœur have joined forces to offer scholarships to six deserving school learners in four of nine provinces of South Africa, and a cultural exchange programme to another ten learners in South Africa and France. The partnership aims to promote education and sports to young people.
Rugby au Cœur is the official charity of the Rugby World Cup, which is contested every four years between the top international teams. Tendai ‘the Beast’ Mtawarira was part of the 2019 Winning Springbok squad.
The scholarship programme gives six learners access to high quality education, unlocking their potential in desired fields of study and sports. It will also help the learners gain invaluable experience from their theory and practical education that will subsequently open doors for them in the future when they further their studies at tertiary institutions.
“We are pleased to partner with Rugby au Cœur to support the dreams and unlock the potential of young people,” said Tendai Mtawarira, Founder and Chairman of The Beast Foundation. “The scholarship programme enables the six learners to obtain their desired education and subsequently contribute to creating a pool of future leaders who will drive change in Africa and globally.
The partnership also offers a cultural exchange programme which will see five The Beast Foundation Annual Rugby Bootcamp 2022 high achievers travel to France to attend the 2023 Rugby World Cup in September and participate in a programme with local youth French school, Ecole des XV. Five learners from Ecole des XV, France will also have an opportunity to visit South Africa and participate in The Beast Foundation’s Annual Rugby Bootcamp 2023, which will take place in July 2023.
“This is a life-time opportunity for the boot-campers. It speaks to our values at The Beast Foundation, which is to transform communities through sport, education and delivering effective mentorship to young people,” said Mtawarira.
“The learners will attend the opening game of the Springboks, take local cultural tours and participate in learning through rugby in this exchange programme with their French counterparts,” he added.
Rugby au Cœur has set itself the objective of financing meaningful projects important to Rugby World Cup 2023, which fosters education, inclusion and equity. It seeks to make rugby count in other fields, to meet the challenges facing our society: in schools, hospitals, and disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
Some of the projects funded by Rugby au Cœur are the social inclusion of people with disabilities, support for unaccompanied foreign minors, and support for victims of domestic violence. Since June 2020, Rugby au Cœur has become the official charity of Rugby World Cup 2023, taking its actions at an international level.
Rugby au Cœur President, Jacques Rivoal said they were proud to partner with the foundation and support the learners.
“We are proud to collaborate with The Beast Foundation, which aims to support the next generation of African leaders through education, sport and life skills development. We look forward to the success of this partnership and to seeing young people breaking barriers to achieve their dreams,” said Rivoal.
One of the six learners from the National School of the Arts in Gauteng said she was grateful for the scholarship and looks forward to pursuing her passions.
“I am excited for being able to go to an art school that allows me to pursue my passion in arts while giving me an academic background. I am grateful to The Beast Foundation and Rugby au Cœur for this opportunity.”
Another learner from the South African College High School in the Western Cape said: “The scholarship will help me in pursuing my sporting career and motivates me to work harder in school. Thank you, The Beast Foundation and Rugby, au Cœur for making my sporting career a reality.”