UNESCO U40 Empowered Program: Women Entrepreneurs Powering The Digital Creative Industries 2018

Application Deadline: 16th April 2018

Eligible Countries: Developing countries

About the Award: “U40 Empowered” is a UNESCO initiative started in 2018 with the support of Sabrina Ho.
This initiative is designed to increase opportunities for U40 women to access funding, infrastructure, equipment and co-production opportunities in the digital creative industries. “U40 Empowered” will also support strategies that address the different needs, aspirations, capacities and contributions of women. Through support for such projects, “U40 Empowered” will unlock opportunities for young women entrepreneurs and realise their full potential in the digital creative industries.

Type: Grant

Eligibility: 

• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from eligible countries (developing countries Parties to the 2005 Convention): Non-governmental organizations that, according to their national regulations, are non-governmental and non-profit and that meet the definition of civil society*1 mentioned in the Operational Guidelines.
• International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) registered in countries Parties to the 2005 Convention: International non-governmental organizations (INGOs), which meet the definition of civil society* mentioned in the Operational Guidelines; and which present projects that have an impact in developing countries at the sub-regional, regional or inter-regional level.

Further Eligibility Information “U40 Empowered” will finance projects that:

• Develop and/or implement strategies that invest in women as entrepreneurs working in the digital creative industries;
• Create networks and opportunities for U40 women working in the digital creative industries to innovate and collaborate;
• Organise female-led creative mentorship programmes for U40 women in partnership with digital creative hubs, incubators and clusters;
• Give visibility to the work and innovations of U40 women entrepreneurs working in the digital creative industries;
• Strengthen the digital skills of U40 female creative industry professionals;
• Collect and analyse sex-disaggregated data with a view to better understand the underlying causes of gender inequality in the digital creative industries with a view to inform policy making.

Selection Criteria: Applications for funding requests to the IFCD will be evaluated on the basis of the criteria on how the funding request:

• addresses the objectives, priorities and areas of intervention of “U40 Empowered”, the 2005 Convention and the IFCD;
• meets the needs and priorities of the country where the project will be implemented and is deemed to be feasible and relevant;
• contributes to achieving concrete, measurable, realistic and sustainable results;
• has a potential structural impact leading to the emergence of a dynamic cultural sector;
• promotes South-South and North-South-South cooperation;
• ensures that the project’s impact/long-term benefits can be achieved and promotes the sustainability of the project;
• satisfies the principle of financial accountability.

In addition, the Panel of Experts will evaluate the applicants’ capacity to implement the work plan and manage the budget, ensuring that:

• overhead costs do not exceed 30% of the total budget;
• requested funds are to be spent principally on project activities;
• resources are not spread too thinly or are used to support sporadic activities.

The skills and competences of key people involved in the implementation of the proposed activities, as well as the involvement of stakeholders in the design and implementation of the project will also be evaluated.
Additional financial assistance, either in the form of self or co-funding, is highly advisable as a means to engage more partners in the process and to contribute to the smooth implementation and sustainability of the project.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: The maximum amount that can be requested is 100,000 USD.

Duration of Program: The project implementation period shall be between 12 and 24 months, with the projects beginning in October 2018.

How to Apply: The application and its complementary documents must be in English or French
Steps:
Prepare the Application form:

• Download and review the call for funding.
• Download and review the Annotated Guide.
• Download, save on your computer and complete the Project Framework (including the project objectives, budget, outputs/deliverables and list of team members). The Project Framework should be opened and completed in Microsoft Excel or similar applications.
• Gather digital copies for all Complementary Documents that are required for your application.

Complete the Application form:

• All the project proposals must be submitted through the online Application Form.
• Create your account at https://en.unesco.org/creativity/applicant/register.
• Log in at https://en.unesco.org/creativity/user/login and complete all the fields in the online Application Form. During this process, you can save your application and come back later, using your login and password.
• Upload the Project Framework and Complementary Documents in the dedicated fields
• Before finalizing your application, ensure that all fields have been completed and accept the Terms and Conditions
• Date, sign and click on the ‘SUBMIT’ button to finalize your application.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: UNESCO

Important Notes: Please note that project proposals submitted to this call must comply with specific criteria, will be
evaluated by an independent Panel of Experts and will be approved directly by Ms Sabrina Ho

African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) Main Grants for Women Organisations 2018

Application Deadline: 7th March 2018.

Eligible Countries: AWDF particularly encourages women’s rights organisations registered and working in the following countries to apply:
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe

About the Award: AWDF is particularly interested in projects working with young women, women facing multiple discrimination, and approaches that include engaging the arts, culture, sports and technology.
AWDF is looking for innovative and effective projects that address the needs of and involve the women and communities most affected by inequality and injustice in the leadership and implementation of projects.

Fields of Funding: 

1. Body & Health Rights: The focus for this grantmaking round will be on ending violence against women; sexual and reproductive rights including HIV/AIDS; LBT rights; women’s emotional wellbeing and mental health including for women human rights defenders.
2. Economic Security & Justice: The focus for this grantmaking round will be on land, property and inheritance rights; food sovereignty and women’s rights in contexts of food production and agriculture; climate and environmental justice; women’s economic security and livelihoods.
3. Leadership, Participation & Peace: The focus for this grantmaking round will be on women’s participation in governance and decision-making, including elections; peace and security; defending democratic space and women human rights defenders; building women’s leadership.

Type: Grants

Eligibility: The basic qualifying criteria for applying organisations are as follows:

• Must be led by a woman and have majority of its staff and board being women
• Must be duly registered in an African country
• Must have been in existence for at least 3 years
• Must have the needed organisational structures for effective implementation of the project

• Must have an appreciable financial management system to properly account for funds received
• Must be capable of reporting back on the outcomes of the project
• Must complete the necessary application forms

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value and Duration of Award:

• Applicants may apply for up to US$50,000 for a one-year grant. Please note that most grants awarded are likely to be lower than the maximum.
• Organisations can apply for an amount which is not more than half of their confirmed income as evident in their last audited statement.

How to Apply: Interested women’s rights organisations should send in their proposals via email to awdf@awdf.org using the required application guidelines and forms in the Program Webpage (Link below). The applicant must also complete and include a financial management assessment form and a budget.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: AWDF

Important Notes: 

• Please note that AWDF does NOT fund men-led organisations; political parties or campaigning; government agencies; individuals; scholarships; for-profit initiatives and projects aimed at religious conversion or proselytizing.
• Please note that only successful applicants will be contacted.

Johnson & Johnson Global Mental Health Scholarships for Developing Countries 2018/2019 – UK

Application Deadline: 25th March 2018 (midnight (GMT) on Sunday).

Eligible Countries: Rwanda; Ghana; Kenya; Nigeria; South Africa; Thailand; Indonesia; Philippines; Vietnam; Peru; Nicaragua.

To Be Taken At (Country): UK

About the Award: The MSc Global Mental Health course is a joint programme provided by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London (KCL). The programme of study aims to provide students with the knowledge and skills to initiate, develop and oversee mental health programmes and/or policies in low-resource settings, as well as to conduct and critically evaluate research on global mental health. These skills and knowledge will make it possible for students to make valuable contributions in the domains of research, policy and practice as they relate to the discipline of global mental health.

Type: Masters

Eligibility: 

• Applicants must be nationals of, and ordinarily resident in, one of the following countries:
• Rwanda; Ghana; Kenya; Nigeria; South Africa; Thailand; Indonesia; Philippines; Vietnam; Peru; Nicaragua. Applicants from other countries will not be considered for these scholarships.
• Applicants for this funding must hold an offer of admission to the MSc Global Mental Health commencing in 2018-19. To apply for the programme of study please follow the application instructions on the King’s College London MSc Global Mental Health programme website.
• Applicants from non-English speaking countries (as specified by the Home Office – UKVI) must meet the minimum English Language Requirements if shortlisted for this funding. Applicants who have been short-listed for this funding will be required to provide proof of English language proficiency within 6 weeks of notification for their scholarship application to be considered any further. A copy of the relevant paperwork must be submitted to the Scholarships Team at LSHTM.

Number of Awards: Up to 4

Value of Award: Each scholarship will cover full tuition fees, a stipend (living allowance) of GBP 16,730.00 and an allowance of GBP 500.00 for MSc project expenses.

Duration of Program: 1 year.

How to Apply: To apply for this funding applicants must submit:

• an application for study for the MSc Global Mental Health programme through the King’s College London online application portal,

and

• a Scholarship Application, via the School’s Online Scholarship Application, indicating that you are applying for the 2018-19 J&J GMH Scholarship. As part of this application you should upload a completed J&J GMH Supplementary Questions sheet

by the scholarship deadline.
By submitting an application for this funding applicants agree to its Terms & Conditions (See in Program Webpage).
Please read through the Important Application Information before applying.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: Johnson&Johnson

Important Notes: Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.

WHO-TDR Masters Scholarship in Public Health at University of Ghana 2018

Application Deadlines:

• The deadline for UG admission is 2^nd March, 2018.
• The deadline for submission of scholarship applications is 30th March 2018.

Eligible Countries: Low- and Middle income countries of WHO African Region.

To Be Taken At (Country): University of Ghana, School of Public Health, Ghana

About the Award: The scheme provides scholarships for fulltime studies and is focused on courses relevant to a career in implementation research. Implementation Research is a growing field that supports the identification of health system bottlenecks and approaches to address them and is particularly useful in low- and middle-income countries where many health interventions do not reach those who need them the most.  The goal of this scheme is to enhance graduate training capacity and boost the number of researchers in low and middle-income countries.

Fields of Study: 

• Master’s in Public Health
• MSc Applied Health and Social Sciences

Type: Masters

Eligibility: 

• Nationals and residents from low- and middle income countries of WHO African Region.
• Applicants should normally be under 35 years old at the time of application for the for the Master’s programme.
• Meet the standard University admission requirements for international graduate students.
• For postgraduate admission requirements at University of Ghana, visit the how to apply to postgraduate programmes page.
• Female candidates and candidates from less privileged regions or groups as well as candidates with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Selection: Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Applicants will have seven (7) calendar days to confirm acceptance after notification of offer. After this date, it will be assumed that the student is unable to take the scholarship. University of Ghana reserves the right to refuse or end attribution of the scholarship if any information provided in support of the application is false.

Number of Awards: Ten (10) Master’s scholarships will be offered under the programme for the 2018/2019 academic year.

Value of Award: The scholarship is tenable at the University of Ghana, School of Public Health and covers:

• One round return economy airfare between the home country of the student and Accra, Ghana.
• Tuition and academic user facility fees;
• Basic medical and accident insurance;
• Monthly stipend to cover living expenses including accommodation equivalent to local living cost; and
• Support for research project/thesis expenses during data collection.

How to Apply:

1. Applications for the TDR international postgraduate scholarship must be submitted online at: http://admission.ug.edu.gh/tdr.
2. Applicants must simultaneously submit applications for admission into the relevant programme at University of Ghana: http://admission1.ug.edu.gh/freshstudents/index.php/graduate-admissions/apply-now.html. 

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: World Health Organisation, Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR)

TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize for Scientists in Developing Countries 2018

Application Deadline: 16th April 2018

Eligible Countries: Developing countries

About the Award: Lenovo is a US$45 billion global Fortune 500 company and a leader in providing innovative consumer, commercial, and enterprise technology. Its portfolio of high-quality, secure products and services covers PCs (including the legendary Think and multimode YOGA brands), workstations, servers, storage, smart TVs and a family of mobile products like smartphones (including the Motorola brand), tablets and apps.
The rapid growth Lenovo has recently experienced in emerging markets has prompted the company to partner with TWAS to launch a high-level prize to give international recognition and visibility to individual scientists in the developing world for their outstanding scientific achievements.

Nominations. Nominations are invited from TWAS members, selected individuals, as well as from science academies, national research councils, universities and scientific institutions. Nominations of women scientists are particularly encouraged. Self-nominations and nominations from jury members will not be accepted.

Field of Award: During the first four-year cycle (2013-2016), the prize subject focused on the basic sciences, with the specific subject area changing each year: physics and astronomy (2013), biological sciences (2014), mathematics (2015) and chemical sciences (2016). During the second four-year cycle (2017-2020) the prize subjects will be: Geological Sciences (2017), Engineering Sciences (2018), Agricultural Sciences (2019), Social Sciences (2020).
For the 2018 edition of the prize, TWAS will consider candidates with world-class achievements in Engineering Sciences.

Type: Award

Eligibility:

• Candidates must be nationals of a developing country and must have lived and worked in a developing country for the last 10 years.
• The prizes will only be awarded to individuals for scientific research of outstanding international merit carried out at institutions in developing countries.
• Individuals who have received the Nobel Prize, the Tokyo/Kyoto Prize, the Crafoord Prize or the Abel Prize are not eligible for the TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize.
• Jury members and previous winners of the Trieste Science Prize (also administered by TWAS) will not be eligible for the TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize.

Selection:  The evaluation and selection will be carried out by an authoritative international jury chaired by the TWAS president and including a representative from Lenovo.

Number of Awardees: 1

Value of Award: The TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize will carry a monetary award of USD100,000 provided by Lenovo, as well as a medal and a certificate highlighting the recipient’s major contributions to science. The prize will be presented to the recipient at a special ceremony arranged by TWAS.

How to Apply: It is important to go through the Award Webpage (See link below) before applying.

Visit Award Webpage for details

Award Provider: Lenovo, TWAS

Partnering for Health Professional Training In African Universities (P4HPT) PhD & Masters Scholarships 2019

Application Deadlines: 

• Application for Admission: 2nd March 2018
• Application for Scholarship: 31^st March, 2018.

Eligible Countries: African countries

To Be Taken At (Country): Ghana

About the Award: The Partnering for Health Professionals Training in African Universities (P4HPT) is an EU-funded project under the Intra-ACP Academic Mobility Scheme which aims at building capacity of health professionals with a view to expand the health workforce size in the target countries and subsequently improve well-being of communities.
The partnership is composed of University of Ghana (Ghana), Makerere University (Uganda), Uganda Martyrs University (Uganda), Stellenbosch University (South Africa), University of Nairobi (Kenya), Moi University (Kenya), Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique), University of Burundi (Burundi), University of Juba (South Sudan), National University of Lesotho (Lesotho), and Universite Catholique De Bukavu (Democratic Republic of Congo).
The programme awards scholarships to postgraduate students and staff from various African countries to study at one of the partner institutions.

Type: Masters, PhD

Eligibility: 
Masters: To be eligible for the Scholarship, masters student applicants must meet all the criteria stated below:
Target Group 1 (TG 1) Applicants

• must be nationals and/or residents in one of the following countries included in the partnership South Africa, Kenya, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, South Sudan, Lesotho
• must be registered/admitted or obtained a degree from any one of the following institutions; University of Ghana, Makerere University, Uganda Martyrs University, Stellenbosch University, University of Nairobi, Moi University, Eduardo Mondlane University, University of Burundi, University of Juba, National University of Lesotho, and Universite Catholique De Bukavu.
• have sufficient knowledge of the language in which courses are offered at the host HEI.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: The following are covered by the scholarship;

1. One Round trip flight ticket and visa costs
2. A monthly subsistence allowance for the mobility period (see below)

Ø    Masters: €600 per month

3. Direct participation costs such as tuition fees, registration fees and service fees where applicable.
4. Comprehensive Travel Insurance (Health, Accident and Travel)
5. Settling in allowance equivalent to the monthly subsistence allowance for the type of mobility provided upon arrival at the host institution.

Accommodation expenses will be covered by the scholarship recipient and can be done from the monthly subsistence allowance. However, the host institution will assist in identifying a suitable accommodation for the scholarship holder.

Duration of Program:
Masters: 1 year

How to Apply: Candidates are to complete two (2) applications simultaneously for admission into the programme at the University of Ghana and for scholarship;
a)     Application for Admission – See application guidelines and visit https://admission.ug.edu.gh/applying/postgraduate/how-apply-graduate-programmes  for details to application to University of Ghana. The deadline for submission of the on-line applications for all programmes under this arrangement is Friday, March 2, 2018
b)     Application for Scholarship – Applications forms are available here and must be emailed to p4hpt@chs.ug.edu.gh .This call is for scholarship application.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: EU-funded project under the Intra-ACP Academic Mobility Scheme

IMU Graduate Research Assistantships in Developing Countries (GRAID) Program 2018

Application Deadline: 15th March, 2018.

Eligible Countries: Developing Countries

About the Award: The Program provides research assistantships to graduate – PhD and Master – students of emerging research groups working in a developing country listed in Priority 1 or 2 of the IMU CDC Definition of Developing Countries. It provides modest support for emerging research groups, making it possible for them to fund their most talented students as graduate research assistants, thereby fostering the growth of a mathematics community.
It is assumed that the emerging research group has an ongoing collaboration with an international mathematician. The students will receive a monthly stipend to study full-time and pursue a Master or PhD graduate degree in mathematics and they will be supported additionally by linking their research with an international mathematician.

Field of Study: Mathematics and related fields

Type: Masters, PhD

Eligibility: The Principal Investigator should be a university professor in mathematics holding a PhD and live and work in a university or research center in a developing country listed in Priority 1 or 2 of the IMU CDC Definition of Developing Countries, and who is already training mathematics Master’s or PhD students, and who is part of a research group.
(B.) The International Partner should be a mathematician working in a university or research center not based in any of the countries listed in Priority 1 or 2 of the IMU CDC Definition of Developing Countries.
The International Partner and Principal Investigator should be in regular contact, for instance using modern communication technology. At the time of application there should be an active and ongoing collaboration between the International Partner and Principal Investigator.
The Principal Investigator will be responsible for ensuring smooth sustained communication in the Team between:

• the graduate research assistants,
• the International Partner, and
• the GRAID Committee.

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: The amount of the stipend per graduate research assistant should not exceed USD 3,500 per year. The exact amount will be decided by the GRAID Committee on a case-by-case basis depending on the local cost of living. One Team can apply for up to 3 graduate research assistantships.
The following costs can be covered by the stipend:

• Accommodation expenses of the graduate research assistant
• Basic living expenses

Duration of Program: 

• For PhD students the stipend will typically cover 4 years depending on satisfactory progress based on annual reports. Extensions for up to 6 months will be decided at the discretion of the GRAID Committee.
• Master students will typically be funded for 1 year. Extensions for up to 6 months will be decided at the discretion of the GRAID Committee

How to Apply: We invite applications from Teams consisting of:

1. the Principal Investigator (PI) plus his or her research group, and
2. the International Partner.

Apply Here

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: Funding for the graduate research assistantships will be provided by voluntary donations from mathematicians or mathematical institutions worldwide.

Regional Academic Exchange for Enhanced Skills in Fragile Ecosystems Management in Africa (REFORM) Masters and PhD Scholarships 2018

Application Deadline: 7th April 2018.

Eligible Countries: Senegal, Uganda, Benin, Malawi, Mozambique, DR Congo, Tunisia, Mali, Madagascar, Lesotho and Sudan.

To Be Taken At (University):

1. Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, Senegal
2. University of Abomey Calavi, Benin Rep.
3. Uganda Martyrs University, Uganda
4. Eduardo Mondlane University, Mozambique
5. Mzuzu University, Malawi
6. Makerere University, Uganda

About the Award: The EU under its Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme, has provided funding to support training of graduate students in African universities. In this mobility programme six African partner institutions and one EU Technical partner will collaborate in the training of professionals to strengthen fragile ecosystems (FE) management in Africa, which will lead into reduced environmental degradation and sustained food production by small-scale farmers.
A total of 23 Masters and 11 Doctorates will be trained in the thematic areas of Agroforestry, Ecology and Adaptation; Taxonomy, Biodiversity, Ethnobotany and Natural Resources Conservation and Valorization; Agro-Ecology and Food Systems; Forest, Ecosystem, Environment and Natural Resource Management.
The project will provide fellowships for full degree programs (PhDs and MSc) as well as short term mobility for students and staff and will run from 1st November 2017 until 31st October 2022.
The project is expected to contribute to a) establishing regional learning platform for improved fragile ecosystem management (FEM); b) internationalizing and harmonizing of training in FEM, c) enhancing skills of University administrative staff to manage mobility, d) improving training skills of academic staff of targeted Universities and e) training of high caliber professionals in FE management.

Type: Masters, PhD

Eligibility: The scholarships are open to candidates from Target group 1 (Senegal, Uganda, Benin, Malawi, Mozambique) and Target group 2 (DR Congo, Tunisia, Mali, Madagascar, Lesotho and Sudan).

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Award: Subsistence allowance, Insurance, Travel costs, Housing and Tuition fees are covered by this program.

How to Apply: All interested candidates must apply online for both university admission and scholarship. Application for admission should be sent to the hosting university and a copy to the project coordinating office at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar. The application for scholarship should be sent to the project coordinating office with copy to the coordinator at the sending institution.
The requirements from the applicant will but not limited to:

• Application form,
• Certified Certificates and Transcripts from recognised institutions by the national regulators,
• At least two academic referees /recommendations,
• Up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV),
• Letter of motivation for joining the programme applied for,
• Concept note for proposed PhD research.

Scholarship Application Form

View specific programs on offer and universities

Visit the Program Webpage for Details

Award Providers: The EU under its Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme

Important Notes:

• Please note that candidates will only be allowed to apply to institution outside of their home countries.
• Female and candidates with disabilities are particularly encouraged to apply.

Orange Social Venture Prize for Entrepreneurs in Africa and the Middle East 2018

Application Deadline: 31st May 2018

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: Countries in Africa and the Middle East

About the Award: The Orange Social Venture Prize rewards entrepreneurs developing products or services that use ICT in an innovative way to meet the needs of people in Africa or the Middle East in fields such as health, agriculture, education, energy, industry or trade.
Over the past five years, the thousands of projects which have been submitted for the Orange Social Venture Prize display the dynamism of entrepreneurs and the potential of the telecommunications sector in the region.
Once again this year, internet users can vote online for their favourite project on Entrepreneur Club, the entrepreneurship section of StarAfrica, the Orange portal. The project thus elected as the “favourite project” will be introduced to the jury along with ten others shortlisted by the experts, and will therefore maximise its odds of receiving one of the monetary grants.

Offered Since: 2011

Type: Entrepreneurship

Eligibility: Any entrepreneur (aged 21 or over) or legal entity that has been in existence for fewer than three years at the time of the competition may participate at no cost and with no restriction on nationality. Submitted projects must be designed to be deployed in at least one of the African or Middle Eastern countries in which Orange operates (as listed in the rules) and must use information and communications technology in an innovative way to help improve the living conditions of the populations in these countries.

Number of Awardees: 3

Value of Contest: 

• 1st Grand Prize: €25,000
• 2nd Grand Prize: €15,000
• 3rd Grand Prize: €10,000

Orange experts provide the winners with customised digital mentoring and advice. These international awards complete the various prizes delivered locally to national winners.

Apply

Visit Contest Webpage for details

Award Provider: Orange

Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program (FLTA) 2018/2019

Application Deadline: 30th April 2018

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: Nigeria

To be taken at (country): United States of America (USA)

About the Award: The Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program is a nine month non-degree course funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education. The objective of the program is to strengthen foreign language instruction at U.S. colleges, universities, and some high schools, while providing future teachers from abroad the opportunity to refine their skills, increase their English language proficiency, and expand their knowledge of U.S. society and culture.  FLTA fellows must return to their home countries upon completion of their programs to teach English at the secondary or university level.

Type: Short courses, Job

Eligibility: All applications must meet the following criteria:

• Applicants must be teachers of English or in training to become teachers of English.
• Applicants must possess a university degree in English, Language Arts, or combined honors.
• Applicants must be fluent in English, demonstrated by a TOEFL score of 79-80 (Internet based testing) or 6.0 (overall score International English Language Testing System-IELTS).
• Applicants must be between 21 and 29 years old at the time of application.
• Applicants must demonstrate maturity, dependability, integrity and professionalism.
• Applicants must be physically present in their home country throughout the nomination and selection process.

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: Fully-funded

Duration of Scholarship: 9 months

How to Apply:  

• Applications must be completed and submitted online.
• Applicants should request that the academic office of their institution send a stamped copy of their transcripts in a sealed envelope to: The Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy, Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central Area, Abuja, Attention: Cultural Affairs Officer.
• Other documents to be submitted include academic credentials, signed and stamped letters of reference, and the photo page of a valid Nigerian passport.
• The application can be accessed at: http://apply.embark.com/student/fulbright/flta.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider: Government of the United States through the U.S. Embassy, Nigeria.

Important Notes: For further inquiries, please contact Cultural Affairs Assistant, U.S. Embassy, Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central Area, Abuja: email: CulturalAbuja@state.gov or U.S. Consulate General, #2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos;

Onsi Sawiris Masters Scholarship Program for Egyptians to Study in USA 2019

Application Deadline: 31st July, 2018

Offered annually? Yes

Eligible Countries: Egypt

To be taken at (University):

· California Institute of Technology · Stanford University · The University of California – Berkley · Yale University · Georgia Institute of Technology · Northwestern University · The University of Chicago · Harvard University · Massachusetts Institute of Technology

· Princeton University · Cornell University · Columbia University · Duke University · The University of Michigan · Dartmouth University · Carnegie Mellon University · The University of Pennsylvania · The University of Texas – Austin

Type: Masters

Fields of Study: Business Administration or Construction Management.

Eligibility: Candidates should have:
· GPA :                   3.5 / Very Good or above (Overall grade)
· TOEFL: iBT:        100 or above
· MBA – GMAT:      650 or above (taken within 5 years)
· MA in Engineering:
– Old GRE scores are no longer acceptable.
– New GRE scores: Minimum acceptable
– Overall: 302
– Analytical Writing: 4.5
· Extracurricular Activities: Have been involved or are currently involved in extracurricular activities.
· A minimum of three years working experience.
· Fields of Study: Engineering, Business Administration, and Construction management.
· Be planning to start their studies in the U.S.A in the year 2019.
· Be Egyptian nationals, who are residents of Egypt (preference will not be given to dual nationality applicants).
· Plan on pursuing their master’s degree at one of the top universities in the United States in the field of Business Administration or Engineering.
· Have not lived more than 3 years abroad.
· Be committed to coming back to Egypt for two years directly after the successful completion of the degree.

Selection Criteria: : The Onsi Sawiris Scholarships will be awarded based on character and merit as demonstrated through academic excellence, extracurricular activities, and entrepreneurial initiative.

Selection Procedure: 

• Personal interviews at OC
• Notification of selected scholars
• Program orientation

Number of Awardees: Not specified

Value of Scholarship: The scholarships include full tuition, a living allowance, travel, books, Computer, Health Insurance, and Other Benefits.

How to Apply: Please submit:
· Application form: Onsi Sawiris Scholarship Graduate application
· Resume.
· Copy of test scores (TOEFL – iBT / GRE or GMAT).
· Copy of transcripts.
· Copy of graduation certificate.
· Two recommendation letters.
· For E-mail inquiries regarding the scholarship: OSSP@amideast.org or contact AMIDEAST on 19263.
It is important to go through the application instructions on the Scholarship Webpage before applying.

Visit Scholarship Webpage for details

Award Provider:  Orascom Construction (OC)

Important Notes: 
· Candidates who already have one Master’s degree from a foreign university, or who have an Egyptian Master’s degree in the same field they are applying for will not be considered.
· Candidates with an Egyptian Master’s degree in a technical field different from the one that they’re applying for will be considered.
· Preference will be given to candidates who have not lived, worked, or studied abroad for a significant period of time.
· Selection as a nominee for the Onsi Sawiris Scholarship Program does not guarantee university acceptance. Applicants will be supported in applying for the below approved universities only. If nominated for the scholarship; the Onsi Sawiris Scholarship Program award will be made once university acceptance is obtained.
· The Onsi Sawiris Scholarship Program is only granted to the list of endorsed universities.

Pan African University Masters and PhD Scholarships for African Students 2018

Application Deadline: 20th April 2018

Eligible Countries: African countries and Africans in other countries

To be taken at (countries): 

1. Pan African University Institute for Basic Sciences, Technology and Innovation (PAUSTI), at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenya
2. Pan African University Institute for Life and Earth Sciencesincluding Health and Agriculture (PAULESI), at the University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria
3. Pan African University Institute for Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences (PAUGHSS), at the University of Yaounde IIand the University of Buea, Cameroon.
4. Pan African University Institute for Water and Energy Sciences – including climate change (PAUWES), at the University of Tlemcen, Algeria

Fields of Study: All fields of study are available from the scholarship webpage link below

About the Award: The Pan African University is an initiative of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union. It is a Premier continental university network whose mission is to provide quality postgraduate education geared towards the achievement of a prosperous, integrated and peaceful Africa.

Type: Masters, PhD

Eligibility: Scholarship awardees should be committed to working in Africa after graduation.

Selection Criteria: Candidates with potential, motivation and who desire to play transformative leadership roles as academics, professionals, industrialists, innovators and entrepreneurs are particularly encouraged to apply

Number of Awards: Not specified

Value of Program: The African Union Commission will offer full scholarships to the successful African candidates.

How to Apply: Applications should be completed online at pau-au.net. Application forms should be downloaded at the following address: pau-au.net
Admission Requirements for Masters Programmes: Candidates must satisfy the following conditions:

1. Undergraduate degree from a recognized university,with at least a second class upper division or its equivalent, in a relevant field;
2. Certified copies of relevant certificates, transcripts (from university and high school), national I.D. card and passport personal details page;
3. Recommendation letters from 2 Professors
4. Clear colored passport size photograph(2cmx2cm);
5. Maximum age of 30 years for male and 35 years for female applicants.

Candidates may be required to undergo a written/oral examination after preselection.
Candidates for the Master in Conference Interpreting and Translation programmes are required to have excellent knowledge of at least two of the African Union’s official languages (Arabic, English, French and Portuguese).
Admission Requirements for Doctoral Programmes Candidates must satisfy the following conditions:

1. A Masters degree in a relevant field from PAU or any internationally recognized university;
2. Certified copies of relevant certificates, transcripts, national I.D. card and passport personal details page;
3. A 3 to 4 page research concept note (tentaive title, research questions, objectives, significance of the research etc…)
4. Recommendation letters from 2 Professors
5. Clear colored passport size photograph (2cmx2cm);
6. Maximum age of 35 years for male and 40 years for female applicants.

Interested applicants should go through the Program guidelines before applying.

Visit Program Webpage for details

Award Provider: The African Union Commission

America’s Democracy Hypocrisy

Thomas L. Knapp

In late February, Venezuela’s government began accepting presidential candidate registrations and announced a snap legislative election for April. The country’s opposition denounces the process as a sham and Maduro as a dictator, both of which may be true.

Oddly,  a third voice — the US government — also weighed in. Per US state media outlet Voice of America, “the United States, which under President Donald Trump has been deeply critical of Maduro’s leadership in crisis-torn and economically suffering Venezuela, on Saturday rejected the call for an early legislative vote.”

Given the perpetual public pearl-clutching over alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, that’s some major league chutzpah.

The US State Department wants “‘a free and fair election’ involving full participation of all political leaders, the immediate release of all political prisoners, credible international observation and an independent electoral authority.

Let’s take that one at a time.

Participation of all political leaders? In some US states, it’s harder for a third party to get on a ballot than in, say, Iran.

The immediate release of all political prisoners? Last I heard, US president Donald Trump hadn’t pardoned (among others) Leonard Peltier.

Credible international observation? The US proper committed to admitting international election observers in the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe’s 1990 Copenhagen Document, but many US states forbid international observers or, for that matter, local observers who aren’t affiliated with one of the two ruling parties.

Electoral authorities? The two ruling parties control them all and routinely use them to suppress threatened competition, as do pseudo-private entities like the Commission on Presidential Debates, which makes giant illegal (but government approved) in-kind contributions to the Republican and Democratic candidates in the form of televised candidate beauty pageants which exclude the opposition parties.

Writing in The Atlantic, veteran election meddler Thomas O. Mela — formerly of the US State Department, the  US Agency for International Development,  the National Democratic Institute and Freedom House — argues that election meddling is different when the US does it, because … well, “democracy.”

Mela asserts a “difference between programs to strengthen democratic processes in another country (without regard to specific electoral outcomes), versus efforts to manipulate another country’s election in order to sow chaos, undermine public confidence in the political system, and diminish a country’s social stability.”

The US government spends a lot of time and money (USAID’s budget alone is about one-tenth the budget of the entire Russian government) on foreign election meddling, and somehow “democracy” always gets interpreted as “whatever outcome the US government prefers at the moment.”

Perhaps we should get our own democratic house in order instead of, or at least before, presuming to tell the rest of the world how democracy does or should work.

Kashmir: Our Colleges And Human Resource Development

Ghulam Mohammad Khan

Before my transfer to an Engineering College recently, I taught at Govt. Degree College Bandipora, situated on the top of a hillock, an idyllic place surrounded by a majestic bulwark of mountains on almost three sides and overlooking the bucolic expanses of famous Wullar Lake on one side; undoubtedly a wondrous place with amazing ambience for the transaction of education. From the top one could easily survey the distant villages scattered about the dying slopes and verdure plains and some house-tops glittering from across the deep shadowy terrains in higher hills. The majestic snow tops sparkled like a jewel in the crown. Exciting indeed but one could not turn a blind to eye to the hardships and resilience of the students who had to, given the pathetic transport facilities, cover the craggy terrains, the jagged roads and steeps to reach to the college, a singular building resting like an ancient rock on the edge of a hill.

This singular building with just six class-rooms and a comparatively smaller permanent teaching faculty (less than fifteen and in city colleges, where the intake of students is lesser, sometimes even one department exceeds this number) had to attend, to educate 2700 students enrolled in different courses, unarguably a huge capital of human resource. Twenty seven hundred young aspiring minds waiting to be chiseled to perfection to secure the future of a generation!

Not aware of other classes, but the English classes I did were always overcrowded, a discomposed crowd of nearly 150 students, almost twice the number sanctioned by the University Grants Commission. Apparently buoyant faces looking expectantly at you and blandly listening to the abstruse philosophical musings and dismembered visions connected through a series of charred images of the Romantic English poet S.T. Coleridge; I still fail to understand as to why have ‘they’ prescribed the repulsively recondite poems like” Kubla Khan” and “Frost at Midnight” for the students who still don’t know what is Choice Based Credit System after acquiring education under the same system for more than a year. The class-room environment painfully contradicted the external ambience. I realized that the earlier schooling of the students never qualified them to be introduced to the esoteric poems of Coleridge, topical dramas of G.B. Shaw or Chekhov and the philosophical concepts of Albert Camus. I started to feel for the students deeply. Leaving the staff room to attend the classes became excruciatingly painful for me. Looking at hundreds of faces and everyday teaching them an exclusively higher imagination stuff with little or no relevance to their immediate needs in a traditional way and hardly ever considering a break to address their problems, assess their understanding and improvement (the compulsion to complete the syllabus not to be disregarded here), only cemented my fears of waste, mismanagement and misappropriation of the diverse human resource.

Never after that did my fears abate. The institution, like a psychopath lacking conscience, never actually bothered to change its approach. It stifled the teacher through a series of absurd implementations based on the directions of a practically disconnected University and subsequently leaving a huge human recourse directionless. One day when I enquired about the progress in other subjects from my students, the response only worsened my fears. It would send me meditating pointlessly, ‘Twenty seven hundred students! Give me only ten scientists from them, only ten philosophers, ten good mathematicians and only ten revolutionary writers, and I assure you I will change the whole intellectual demography of the subcontinent.’ Seriously, I found our students are not the in the safe hands, in the safe system. As it went on I began to contact my friends working in various colleges of the valley only to hear to the same plaintive tales of dissatisfaction, regression and institutional mismanagement. Based on my limited understanding I found the following four repressive elements in the context of our present college education system doing unpardonable disservice to our students (human resource):

* Untimely Implementation of Choice Based Credit System (CBCS)

Let’s say it is agreeable to operate a college from a rented accommodation or run it from a singular six class-room structure, but it would be an absolute fallacy to even imagine the implementation of CBCS, given its nature and scope, from such accommodations. The kernel of this new system is the Choice of the students which unfortunately exists nowhere. The old pattern of subject selection has been forcefully fitted in the new system. The same old subjects are taught with same traditional approaches with little or no scope for skill enhancement. Its implementation has been more a consternation and a setback, as evinced by the recent results, to both the students and teachers than a provision to revolutionize the education system. Leave alone the college students and teachers the University itself seems to have misread the system at the time of its implementation. To complete two semesters a year, a college almost needs to function the whole year without a break. In most of the colleges, as we have seen, students stop attending colleges from November to March because of the dearth of proper heating equipment in the colleges. Implementing CBCS at such a time is like playing cards in the hands of unprofessional players.

* Examination System

What pained me the most was the experience of supervising the examination halls. From their faces I could see a desperation of the Kashmir University to somehow get the things done. Students, like products manufactured in a factory, unwittingly accepted everything being fed to them. Unfortunately, they had been conditioned and brought up in a strange culture of examinations which terribly lacked creativity and originality. Evaluation of the answer scripts pushed me to the extreme where I almost convinced myself to resign from my job. Reading their answers was like reading the most original case studies of how our institutions are relentlessly destroying the most reliable human resource.

* Dearth of Infrastructure

Another serious threat to the proper growth and management of the human resource is the Government’s and administrators’ negligence, unconcern and dispassion for equipping the colleges with necessary infrastructure, staff and connectivity established decades before. On the contrary new colleges are established with strong guidelines to function immediately from rented accommodations. Most of the colleges are without smart-classrooms, auditoriums, conference halls, reading rooms and adequate laboratories and libraries. The lack of infrastructure to conduct co-curricular activities is duly manifested by our students not competing in various national level events. On the other hand, there is no respite from the relentless fee hike, adding more to the miseries of students.

* Political Uncertainty

To cover all the credits in one semester a college needs complete ninety working days. This is almost an impossibility in Kashmir, for there are more politically provoked holidays other than Sundays and coloured calendar days. In the last session, as all of us know, the Government closed many colleges for weeks as a so-called precautionary measure. Living in a permanent fear of a curfew, an encounter, a theatrics of combat and spectacle on the street is now a very old and commonly accepted deterrent to growth and education.

Tail Piece: Because our education and political system had been ordinary and stubborn to change and advancement, we have deprived generations of students who could have been better crafted and subsequently better placed. I still do not understand how bureaucratic supremacy, repeated tasks and assignments, pointless exams and so-called objective assessments can measure the behavior and intelligence of students or serve our “factory style” education system. It really looks “some kind of bar-coding human aptitude”.

Prostituting Charity: The Oxfam Debate

Binoy Kampmark

Oxfam has outdone itself.  In the murky, squalid business where charity seems to chase, then embed itself in disaster zones like a dedicated virus, Oxfam ranks highly.  In terms of a tally, the number of reported abuses in the charity sector is galloping ahead, with one of Britain’s most noted charities in the lead.

The revelations this month that the charity’s staff sexually exploited victims of the Haiti earthquake in 2010, a point subsequently concealed, have triggered a storm of British discontent.  The revelations included a very active country director, Roland van Hauwermeiren, who revelled in sex parties as he went about his humanitarian work.  Allegations of sexual abuse in Oxfam shops have also made their searing mark.

The organisation has lost over 7,000 donors since the revelations, and MPs on the international development committee overseeing aid have been unimpressed. The Charity Commission may well have been misled by former executives Dame Barbara Stocking and Penny Lawrence.

Oxfam’s CEO, Mark Goldring, is all apologies, notably after remarking in an interview with The Guardian that the charity was being attacked as if “we murdered babies in their cots.  Certainly, the scale and the intensity of the attacks feel out of proportion to the level of culpability. I struggle to understand it.”

The official line from the organisation was more humbling, though prefaced by an insistence that measures of reform had been implemented. “It is clear we still have not done enough to change our own culture and to create the strongest possible policies to protect people we work with globally. We are doing that right now.  But we must do much more and act with greater urgency.”

On the other side of the moral saviour is the self-helping abuser.  Such figures have needs and callings.  The squalid reality soon manifests.  Vulnerability is less there to be alleviated than cultivated, teased into an ongoing relationship between the victim and the touted rescuer.  Historically, however, the mission of rescue can be broadly seen as part of the stock idea of the civilising project.  The modern humanitarian project is a colonialism of the emotions, pornogrified guilt that finds refuge in despair.

It is precisely such a civilising mission that was said to cause debility and emotional decay. The obligated civilisers, in engaging their burdensome task, would encounter harsh environments, uncompromising geography and problematic natives.

It was precisely such background that provided the alibi and apologia for the white civilizer’s bad behaviour read against noble necessity. Geographer Ellsworth Huntington suggested in Civilization and Climate (1915) that temperate zones engendered mental stimulation while tropical climates induced “tropical inertia”.

The focus of such geographers and the odd enthused quack was an insistence on justifiable degeneracy as an occupational hazard.  “Tropical neurasthenia” was one term coined by Charles Woodruff in his 1905 work The Effects of Tropical Light on White Men, emphasising the preponderance of insanity amongst certain US soldiers based in the Philippines. (Those based in cooler regions evinced fewer problems.)

“According to the man’s complexion and general resistance to this exhaustion from increased metabolism and effects of the light may be so slight as to show mere enervation, or nervous weakness being more marked in older men.”  Such studies served to bolster the views of Benjamin Kidd, a British sociologist who insisted that peoples from temperate zones could never adjust to tropical climes.

Taking such factors into account, and the modern, heart bleeding charity worker becomes a colonial builder.  Such a figure is part of the modern industry of rescue, dressed up as a charitable exercise.  According to Afua Hirsch, theories such as tropical neurasthenia may well have fallen out after the Second World War, “but to this day our understanding of countries that receive humanitarian assistance is still deeply grounded in the same colonial thinking.”

Even those considered voraciously read and enlightened on the problems of empire find room, even if small, to defend such missions.  Poverty and disaster invite assumptions.  “I do wonder how hard it must be to sustain ‘civilised’ values in a disaster zone,” pondered Cambridge classicist Mary Beard.  That statement, it should be added, followed on from, “Of course one can’t condone the (alleged) behaviour of Oxfam staff in Haiti or elsewhere.”

The Beard episode induced outrage.  Language police duly considered her use of inverted commas of civilisation as unwarranted and misguided.  Others chose to avoid seeing them.  Torrential abuse followed.

Fellow Cambridge academic Priyamvada Gopal finessed a particularly brutal response, reflecting on her own place of employment.  Cambridge, that abode “where there is little direct abuse but plenty of genteel and patrician casual racism passing as frank and well-meaning observations.” Beard had done nothing to show contrition, indeed persisted in refusing “to see what was so profoundly and deeply wrong” with such claims, supplemented by “bizarre, indeed cringe-making comparisons between the French resistance and aid workers.”

Beard felt, a point she subsequently made in a blog for the Times Literary Supplement, she had been “guilty of a shorthand which misled.”  She duly concluded that it was “too easy to imagine that we are better than those who do the work we would be too scared to do.”  The implication of such a sentiment, framed as an obligatory task of the nobly decent, is clear: even those involved in rescue and inadvertent civilising are humans too.  Patrician morality is alive and kicking.