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Dec 1, 2008

Bursary for HIV-hit kids

Fund for children, youth whose lives or families are affected by HIV

By Ang Yiying

AN EDUCATION bursary fund to help children or teenagers who are infected by HIV or who has one or more HIV-positive parent was launched on World Aids Day on Monday.

Starting with a seed funding of $50,000 contributed by M.A.C. Cosmetics, the One Life Fund by World Vision here aims to eventually build it up to $300,000 to provide 300 bursaries.

This is believed to be the first fund of of its kind in Singapore.

Supporting the fund is the Patient Care Centre, under the Communicable Disease Centre of Tan Tock Seng hospital, which will help o assess potential beneficiaries.

Applicants for the bursary must be

aged 2 to 25

a Singapore citizen or permanent resident

HIV-positive or have at least one HIV-positive parent, regardless of whether the parent is dead or alive

from a household whose income is not over $3,000

enrolled in either a registered or accredited full-time course

Unlike most bursaries for which applicants have to apply on a yearly basis, One Life Fund recipients will be funded for the entire duration of their studies.

The fund aims to plug a gap as existing programmes tend to focus on the medical needs of HIV patients, said World Vision Singapore executive director James Quek.

It hopes to start disbursing the money by next March.

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