Somali Women's Scholarship Fund
Home | Care | Act | Learn | Achieve | Donate | Contact
Learn More About Somalia and the Project
Background
Somalia has been in a state of conflict for the past seventeen years. Somalia’s volatility creates obstacles in all aspects of life, from feeding your family to finding a doctor who can vaccinate your child against polio. Access to education, especially a college education, is an unattainable luxury for most Somalis. In this traditional culture, women are the first to lose out on education at all levels. In fact, 28% of Somali girls were enrolled in secondary school in 2006, while only 4% continued on to university. The few lucky women who manage to get into college often end up dropping out prior to graduation because they cannot afford tuition.
Education provides women in Somalia with the knowledge and skills to take action for peace in their country. Without financial support to continue their education, numerous female journalists, lawyers, businesswomen and doctors will not be able to contribute their expertise to the rebuilding process in Somalia.
Want to learn more? Visit these sites for more about Somalia:
State Department Background on Somalia
UNDP’s "Somalia At a Glance"
CIA World Factbook on Somalia
BBC Country Profile - Somalia
UNDP in Somalia
The United Nations currently has 17 agencies working in Somalia, with projects ranging from educational radio broadcasts from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s polio vaccination program. Among these agencies, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) plays an important role in long-term reconstruction in Somalia and coordinates the broader UN effort through the UNDP Resident Representative.
UNDP is the only UN agency that focuses its efforts on building support for democratic principles around the world. To do this in Somalia, UNDP works at the federal level to encourage national peace and reconciliation efforts, as well as efforts to establish a legitimate constitution. At the local level, UNDP provides resources such as leadership training and basic supplies to communities who want to undertake development projects.
Democracies require laws and people to uphold them. Thus, UNDP works in Somalia to ensure police officers understand the application of international human rights in their work and that there are judges and lawyers who are empowered to uphold these rights. Thanks to UNDP’s support, a group of courageous Somali women recently defied traditional gender roles and formed the nation’s first female law enforcement unit.
Finally, UNDP helps Somalis lift themselves out of poverty. This is quite difficult given the ongoing conflict, but UNDP manages to provide effective action in local areas. The flood protection program in the Shabelle River basin works to protect Somalis from devastating natural disasters, and at the same time provides jobs for villagers and increased river access to markets for entrepreneurs.
Due to the instability in Mogadishu, UNDP Somalia’s main office is currently located in Nairobi, Kenya. UNDP does maintain smaller sub-offices on the ground in Hargeisa, Burao, Boroma, Bosasso, Garowe, Mogadishu, Jowhar, and Baidoa. The majority of the UNDP Somalia staff work in one of these sub-offices. Pending improvements in the security situation in Somalia, UNDP hopes to reestablish its main office in Mogadishu.
Learn more about UNDP Somalia
Learn more about the UN in Somalia
Partners
The Somali Women’s Scholarship Fund is made possible by cooperation between the U.S. Committee for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP-USA), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and seven Somali Universities. These universities are:
• Somali Institute for Management and Administration Development (SIMAD)
How the Fund Works
The Somali Women’s Scholarship Fund begins with donations from generous individuals like you. For only $1000, one Somali woman can attend university for one year. Similar to U.S. scholarships, for each $1,000 donated the Somali Women’s Scholarship Fund will cover tuition and expenses necessary for a bright young woman’s full participation in her courses.
The U.S. Committee for UNDP collects tax-deductable contributions to the Scholarship Fund and then grants that money to UNDP Somalia. UNDP Somalia helps the seven partner schools as they develop financial aid offices to administer the scholarships to women with demonstrated financial need. This way the universities will be able to expand their scholarship offerings for future generations of women.
To ensure that donations to the Somali Women’s Scholarship Fund have maximum impact, UNDP-USA closely monitors the fund and progress of the scholarship recipients. Updates on the students can be found here.
