International Scholarship Programme

The 2013-2014 International Scholarship Programme application cycle is now open. Applications forms can be obtained from AKF offices or Aga Khan Education Services/Boards in your country of current residence.

Before contacting the AKDN, please read the information below. Addresses and contact information are available under Application Procedures. In case you are looking for information about scholarships for your further studies, this list of scholarship links may be helpful.

The Aga Khan Foundation provides a limited number of scholarships each year for postgraduate studies to outstanding students from developing countries who have no other means of financing their studies. Scholarships are awarded on a 50% grant : 50% loan basis through a competitive application process once a year in June or July. The Foundation gives priority to requests for Master's level courses but is also willing to consider applications for PhD programmes, when doctoral degrees are necessary for the career objectives of the student. Requests will also be considered for travel and study awards for PhD students doing their research in Third World countries on topics judged to be of interest to the Aga Khan Development Network. Applications for short-term courses are not considered; neither are applications from students who have already started their course of study.

Geographic Scope
The Foundation accepts applications from countries where it has branches, affiliates or other AKDN agencies which can help with processing applications and interviewing applicants. At present, these are Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgystan, Syria, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Madagascar, France, Portugal, UK, USA and Canada.

Selection Criteria
The main criteria for selecting award winners are: l) excellent academic records, 2) genuine financial need, 3) admission to a reputable institution of higher learning and 4) thoughtful and coherent educational and career plans. Candidates are also evaluated on their extra-curricular interests and achievements, potential to achieve their goals and likelihood to succeed in a foreign academic environment. Applicants are expected to have some years of work experience in their field of interest.

Age Limit
Preference is given to students under 30 years of age.

Financial Assistance
The Foundation assists students with tuition fees and living expenses only. The cost of travel is not included in AKF scholarships. Applicants are requested to make every effort to obtain funding from other sources as well, so that the amount requested from the Foundation can be reduced to a minimum. Preference is given to those who have been able to secure some funding from alternative sources.

Loan Conditions
Half of the scholarship amount is considered as a loan, which must be reimbursed with an annual service charge of 5%. A guarantor is required to co-sign the loan agreement. The payback period is five years, starting six months after the study period funded by the Aga Khan Foundation.

Application Procedures
The application procedures of AKF's International Scholarship Programme are decentralised. Students may obtain application forms as of January 1st each year from AKF offices or Aga Khan Education Services / Boards in their countries of current residence. Completed applications should be returned to the agency from which the form was obtained, or to the address indicated on the front of the form. They should not be sent to Geneva. The deadline for submission of applications is March 31, although in certain countries internal deadlines may be earlier.

Applicants should be prepared to be interviewed by local Scholarship Committees about their financial situation, their academic performance, extra-curricular achievements and career plans. Interview reports are sent with the applications to Geneva for the final selection.

The annual Scholarship Selection Meeting takes place in late June or early July and the Aga Khan Foundation notifies all students of the outcome of their application shortly thereafter.

Save The Bangladeshi Children

Save the Children has worked in Bangladesh since 1970, providing relief during and after the war for independence from Pakistan. Since then, we’ve improved thousands of children’s lives by focusing on better nutrition, health and education. Challenges for Children Sponsorship Health and Nutrition Emergency Response Challenges for Children Life is difficult for families in Bangladesh. The country is riddled with malnutrition, illiteracy and infectious diseases — due in great part to abject poverty among about half of the country’s 150 million people. Tropical monsoons, frequent floods and cyclones inflict heavy damage annually to this impoverished nation. Over a third of the population is under the age of 18 and almost seven million children between five and 14 have to work to help their families survive. While Bangladesh has made significant progress in addressing national health and education challenges over the past three decades of its independence, the country remains one of the world’s poorest; indicators place it amongst the least developed countries. Sponsorship In 2003, Save the Children began implementing sponsorship-funded programs targeting children and adolescents. The adolescent reproductive and sexual health (ARSH) program, called KAISHAR (“adolescence” in Bangla), planned its activities in all 13 unions with initial concentration on six unions of Nasirnagar. Health and Nutrition Chronic hunger is made worse by high rates of disease – particularly in children. Malnutrition has lifelong consequences – malnourished children are more likely to become ill more often and perform poorly in school. Women who are malnourished are more likely to give birth to small or underweight babies – repeating this dangerous cycle. Malnutrition in childhood is also associated with developmental delays, lower economic productivity and susceptibility to chronic disease into adulthood. These limitations are compounded when populations are forced to seek their livelihoods in remote and disaster-prone areas where they are at high risk each year. Emergency Response In November 2007, Cyclone Sidr hit Bangladesh, leaving 200,000 families homeless. Save the Children quickly set up 40 spaces where children could learn and play and provided 13,000 children with a nutritious meal every day and clean drinking water. We also provided temporary shelter for 3,000 children and their families, and supplied teaching and play materials to 500 preschools attended by nearly 53,000 children. Sources Unless otherwise noted, facts and statistics have been sourced from Save the Children’s 2012 State of the World’s Mothers report. You can access detailed data here. Other sources as follows: Infant Mortality Rate: CIA World Factbook 2012; Life Expectancy at Birth: World Bank's World Development Indicators 2012; National Poverty Rate: World Bank's World Development Indicators 2012; Population: CIA World Factbook 2012; Human Development Index Rank: United Nations Development Program Last Updated July 2012

Petitioning Mr. N Shravan Kumar DM, Patna: Ensure justice for Chanchal Paswan #chanchalacidattack

Four men threw acid on Chanchal Paswan, 19 and her sister,15 while they were asleep, on 21/10/2012. This happened because Chanchal boldly opposed continuous sexual harassment by these men. In the video, Chanchal and her family are seen talking about the incident and they want this appeal to go public.

Anil, Ghanshyam, Baadal and Raj had been harassing Chanchal and her family for a long time. They would follow her on the streets, in the autorickshaw and would pass vulgar comments and harass her, sometimes even sexually. When she refused to give in to their demands, they brutally threw acid on her.

The four perpetrators have been arrested by the police. Chanchal is 19 years old and an earning member of the family, the paswan family still waits on her speedy trial. They are also spending money on Chanchal's medicines, instead of the state and both the sisters have got less compensation than they deserve- because the police hasn't taken her officialnstatement under section 164, yet.

For the last four months the Paswan family has been waiting for justice, going from one court to another, Chanchal needs your support in getting speedy justice and compensation. Specially after the Justice Verma Committee report and last years Delhi gang rape case, the Chief Justice of India has asked for stricter laws against women attrocities.

Join me and tell District Magistrate, Patna Mr.N Shravan Kumar to take all possible measures to ensure speedy justice for Chanchal and her sister:

1) Ensure that Chanchal and her sister get complete and proper compensation, with employment and education support and legal expenses, from the state.  

2) Ensure that Chanchal and her sister get speedy justice and her case is dealt by a fast track court immediately.

3) Ensure that her statement is recorded under Section 164, which gives a complete and detailed account of the case.

4) All medical expenses, medicines, surgeries should be compensated by the state.

Help The Poor

Hey Friends help the poor .Change the word.....

hello friends ,