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Fulbright scholarship offers brighter future
Applications are open for the South African Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship Programme.
The scholarship funds postgraduate study at a United States (US) university in any subject, excluding an MBA or studies that require contact with patients.
The (US) government and South Africa’s National Research Foundation fund the scholarship, which covers two years’ tuition fees and living expenses in the US.
Frank Whitaker, the Minister Counsellor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy in Pretoria, says the programme has benefitted more than 2 100 South Africans.
Johannesburg builds a new generation of engineers
Pupils from Johannesburg schools are being given the chance to enter the exciting world of engineering through the Next Engineers programme.
The initiative is being led by the General Electric (GE) in partnership with the Gauteng Department of Education, human development organisation FHI360 and Pr otec, a non-profit organisation involved in science, technology, engineering, and maths education.
The programme was launched recently and the first batch of pupils who will participate in the programme have been already been identified.
Family hatches business with grant money
Five young people from an Eastern Cape rural town are breeding success after putting their Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant to good use.
The cousins from Nobumba Village in Peddie used their monthly R350 SRD grant to start the Bayeni Poultry Cooperative, which sells broiler chickens to surrounding villages and the town of Makhanda.
Bayeni chairperson Phumlisa Ngabase (26) explains that when the cousins lost their jobs because of the COVID-19, they had to find a way to put food on the table in the long-term.
Social cohesion tops Human Rights Month agenda
Human Rights Month commemorations will contribute to social cohesion and nation building through a series of dialogues and events planned for the duration of March. ![Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa](/sites/default/files/images_2022_03_02/Social%20cohesion.png)
Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa recently launched Human Rights Month in Tshwane.
HPV vaccines help prevent cancer
Girls as young as nine may be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV). The vir us can lead to cervical cancer – the leading cause of cancer-related deaths.
To protect girls, an annual HPV vaccination programme was first rolled out in 2014, as part of the Integrated School Health Programme. The programme, led by the departments of Health, Basic Education, and Social Development provides the vaccine free of charge to learners in Grade 5 who are over the age of nine.
Changes to COVID-19 vaccination programme
The Department of Health has announced changes to the vaccination programme as part of ongoing efforts to increase uptake of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) vaccine in South Africa.
The changes, which have been guided by scientific evidence, include reducing the time interval between the first and second doses of the Pfizer vaccine from 42 days to 21 days.
A budget for growth and employment
From the Union Buildings
Recently, Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana presented a Budget that supports and reinforces the programme of action I announced in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) to grow the economy and create jobs.
The Budget provides details on how government plans to raise money and where it is going to spend that money to improve the lives of South Africans.