Ashinaga African Initiative scholarships now open for sub-Saharan orphaned students



Applications for Cohort 9 (2022) Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) are now open. This is an international leadership program that cultivates the next generation of leaders to contribute to the development of sub-Saharan Africa.  The initiative is interested in scholars that have lost one or both parents and are committed to returning to sub-Saharan Africa to initiate change, innovation, and development. The AAI provides access to full financial support to study at university abroad (equivalent to an undergraduate degree), including tuition, room, travel costs and other necessary fees.   

For the 2022 cohort, Ashinaga will select students from each Sub-Saharan African country to participate in a Study Camp in Uganda or Senegal from July to December 2022, subject to confirmation given the continued disruption of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Anglophone students will normally attend the Camp in Uganda, with Francophone students attending the Camp in Senegal. During the Study Camp, students are assisted in their academic preparation, university applications (to either Japan, the U.K., the U.S.A. or Europe), and career planning and leadership development. After completing the Study Camp, the students will progress to a second camp called Preparation Camp between April and June 2023; this is meant to prepare students for the social, cultural, and academic differences they may discover abroad. Students will then proceed to university in August or September of 2023. All of the costs during both camps are fully covered by Ashinaga.

Students who wish to join Japanese language track will follow a similar schedule but shall instead study the Japanese language at a university in Japan, they will focus on intensive Japanese language learning throughout the Study Camp. After the Study Camp, they will move to Japan to spend one or two years at a language school prior to starting their university studies.

During University, AAI helps students access full financial support to study abroad. The support covers the first possible qualification that can be earned, and the costs of a foundation or preparatory course if required. The AAI does not accept applications from students who wish to study for a second degree or master’s degree. After Graduation, scholars have the responsibility to return to their home countries or Sub-Saharan Africa within four years after graduating and contribute to the country/region while living there for at least one year. They will have to contact Ashinaga during this period to provide information about their activity and residency.

Deadline for application is midnight GMT Friday 28th January 2022 and applicants should expect to receive the results towards the end of May 2022. 

Ashinaga provides financial support and emotional care to young people around the world who have lost either one or both parents. Founded  55 years ago by a Yoshiomi Tamai, a Japanese phiranthropist after he lost his mother in a traffic accident, the initiative has enabled more than 110,000 orphaned students to gain access to higher education. It has offices in 7 countries including Uganda and Senegal.

Photo courtesy / Ashinaga

Article by Research Beeline correspondent

https://www.ashinaga.org/en/our-work/ashinaga-africa-initiative/apply-to-the-aai/

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