In his capacity as chief guardian of the Sima Andrejević-Igumanov Endowment, His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije of Serbia announced the winners of the fund’s scholarship competition held this fall. 548 students from Kosovo and Metohija submitted applications and the relevant documentation from October 25 to November 1, after which 100 winners were chosen, reports the Serbian Orthodox Church.

Pat. Porfirije determined that the total fund for the current school year amounts to $46,750 (14.4 million dinars), to be paid in equal amounts to each winner in monthly installments. The Endowment awarded scholarships to 13 students from large families last year.

The scholarship fund originates from the contributions of Dragan and Milovan Popović from Belgrade, and is named after the 19th-century Kosov Serb donor who helped students study in Belgrade and at the seminary in Prizren, Kosovo. The Patriarch has also been known to personally fund scholarships for students in Croatia, where he served as Metroplitan before his election as the Serbian primate. (Quelle: www.orthochristian.com, 14. Dezember 2023)