The goal of the Maidens Bursary Award is to encourage young women to stay sexually inactive and focus on their education, News24 reports.
One of the recipients, a young woman who said she never thought remaining a virgin would ever open so many doors for her. The 22-year-old was one of 16 women who received bursaries from the district municipality because they were still virgins.
The second-year pharmacy student at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in the Eastern Cape, who asked not to be named, said she approached the municipality last year because her family did not have money to pay her tuition fees.
“The day I went there, they were awarding bursaries. The next day I received a phone call to bring my results and they told me to come to the municipality. I was surprised when I got a call from the municipality saying that they would pay for my school fees.”
When she heard about the municipality’s Maidens Bursaries this year, she applied and received one. “They asked me if I was a virgin and if I tested regularly and I said yes. I am proud to be a virgin, I did not know it could open so many doors for me. I did not know I could get something out of it.”
She said she got tested during the June and the December holidays, when she went home.
“I do get tempted to have sex, but I have seen things happening in this world and I don’t trust men.”
The test involves lying on a grass mat for an elderly woman to examine her.
“They open the vagina and look, but they don’t insert anything in it. I have never heard of them getting it wrong.” She said she did not mind doing regular tests.
“My father has two wives and he is already struggling to cope. There are three of us at home. This motivates me to do well and give back at home. When I finish my studies I am going to give back by helping other pupils in my hometown.”
She warned girls that falling pregnant prematurely would ruin their lives. They should put their education first.
Another woman who received the bursary said she did not bow to peer pressure and have sex. The 21-year-old University of KwaZulu-Natal student said she was happy to have received the bursary.
“This has helped me pay for my outstanding fees and I will be able to continue with my third year and get my degree.”
She encouraged other women to apply for the financial assistance.
“Young girls should take control of their lives and it is never too late to change their lives for the better and make a success out of it.” Another recipient, 19, said she was studying at the University of Free State with the help of the bursary.
