The Harry Zaphir Scholarship, sponsored by The System Works Group (TSWG), is awarded to an emerging leader of the Mutual movement to travel to Cambodia to engage with CUFA’s Village Entrepreneur program and help members of rural credit unions start up and expand their small businesses.

During his life, Harry Zaphir was a hugely valued long-term supporter of CUFA and the Village Entrepreneur program that helps poor villagers in Cambodia and Timor Leste break out of poverty.

“It is easy to be overwhelmed by the need and poverty in the world. The Village Entrepreneur initiative is a specific way that one person or group of people can make a difference and that is how it is done – one person at a time, one villager at time.” – Harry Zaphir, Community Investor

In memory of Harry Zaphir and his dedication to fostering the talent of “Bright Young Things”, the Harry Zaphir Scholarship has been set up to provide emerging leaders of the Mutual world with the opportunity to develop and grow by engaging with CUFA’s projects. An opportunity has been created for these “Bright Young Things” of the movement to engage with another passion of Harry Zaphir’s, the Village Entrepreneur program.

The 2014 Scholarship Recipient

In 2014 the Harry Zaphir Scholarship was awarded to Katie Preston of Queenslanders Credit Union. This is what Katie Preston had to say about her experience:

“I have met many VEs and their families and have heard first-hand how they are now breaking the cycle of poverty and giving their children a good education. When locals become VEs, it is expected that by the third and final year of the program they will not only have grown a sustainable business and sent their children to school, but that they will also have installed a toilet and a water pump at their house.

This really makes you realise just how good we have it in Australia and how much we take our blessed lives for granted.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Cambodia. The absolute highlight was meeting the dozens of locals who were so happy and generous to open up their homes and share their stories with me.”

Read more about Katie’s experience here.

To be eligible to apply you must:

• Be aged under 35 years
• Have worked in the customer owned banking sector for more than 2 years

The Recipient

The recipient will embody ideals of customer owned banking character through the drive to give back to the community. The recipient instils the values of a “Bright Young Thing”, through a passion to help and has an enquiring mind. Following a fundraising project to raise $1,332 AUD to support a Village Entrepreneur, the recipient will spend one week in Cambodia to work with Village Entrepreneurs to help them start-up or expand a small business. The funding from the scholarship will go towards providing training and on-going support and guidance to help those in the community, to achieve their goals.

Application Due Date: 14th August 2015

 Applications are now open: Apply here