The Daughters for Life Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2016 Scholarships Program
Submission deadline: December 31, 2015
With violence escalating at unprecedented levels in the Middle East, access to quality education for girls and young women is becoming increasingly difficult. Every year, since 2009, The Daughters for Life Foundation has offered bright and talented Grade 12 students and recent graduates the opportunity to obtain full scholarships to come and study in selected universities in Canada and the United States.
Already more than 20 young scholars have enrolled in a number of universities and colleges across North America and Bangladesh. This year, we are planning to award 10-15 scholarships to more talented young women. For the academic year 2016/2017, the available scholarships will be at seven tertiary institutions. Three are based in Canada. They are: Collége Boréal, in Sudbury, Ontario; Wilfrid Laurier University, in Waterloo, Ontario; and Sault College, in Sault St. Marie, Ontario. The four colleges in the United States are: Manhattanville College, Purchase, New York (state); New College of Florida, in Sarasota, Florida; The University of Rochester, Rochester, New York (state); and Eastern Mennonite University, in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Education is key to improving the well being of individuals and furthering a society’s economic and social development. Sadly, in the Middle East only 20 per cent of women ages 15 and older are in the labour force – the lowest level of any world region.Women in MENA countries are twice as likely to be illiterate as men are and make up two-thirds of the region’s illiterate adults. ( according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
The Daughters for Life Foundation believes that lasting peace in the Middle East depends on empowering girls and young women through education to develop strong voices to improve their lives and the lives of those around them throughout this region. The foundation provides these future young leaders with the chance to pursue studies that would otherwise be inaccessible to them. Scholarships at the graduate and undergraduate level – at the universities mentioned above in North America – are offered to students currently living in Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, as well as most other countries located in the Middle East region.
The students who receive our scholarships are chosen not only for their academic achievements, often in the face of socio-economic adversity and hardship, but also for their character and commitment to improving the lives of girls and young women in the Middle East. Our goal is to invest in their potential for leadership and foster their success in whatever fields they choose to pursue.
All grade 12 students and recent graduates, currently living in a Middle East country, are encouraged to apply for the available scholarships. Parents are invited to find out more about the benefits for their daughters of participating in these programs and friends and relatives are encouraged to motivate qualified girls and women to submit their applications as soon as possible. The Middle East can only benefit from the advancement of women’s education!
To access the list of participating academic institutions, application guidelines and the application form, please go to:
https://daughtersforlife.com/apply/, or email us at apply@daughtersforlife.com