MARIA ROSARIO LAZZATI NIADA SCHOLARSHIP FOR AFGHAN WOMEN
Opportunity category: Scholarships
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Education mode: In-person,
Application deadline: 0000-00-00
Details
The postgraduate scholarship in memory of Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada (18.03.1954–02.02.2022) has been established to help talented Afghan women with a university degree to improve their knowledge in international relations and development. Successful applicants will enrol in a two-year master programme from the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Maria Rosario was a high school history and literature teacher. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the State University of Milan with a degree in the History of Christianity. She focused on the woman’s condition and her thesis on witchcraft evolved into a book, written with two other historians (S. Abbiati, A. Agnoletto, M. R. Lazzati, La Stregoneria, Mondadori, 1984). Focusing on persecutions between the 13th and 17th century that led to the mass murder of tens of thousands of women in Europe accused of witchcraft, the book, based on ancient trial documents, is still a reference text.
In 2005, Maria Rosario was a driving force in establishing a charity in Afghanistan focusing on women’s education: the Comitato Arghosha Faraway Schools. Since then, the organisation has funded the construction of 15 schools for 8,000 pupils from grades 1 to 12. The majority of the pupils (5,500) are girls; 10 schools were built to host girls exclusively who had little to no access to educational structures. The organisation has also supported literacy courses for 500 adult women and 28 university scholarships for talented girls in different universities in Kabul. Until 2019, when Covid paralysed international mobility, Maria Rosario visited Afghanistan every year to assess the project’s implementation around the country and plan future initiatives.
Given the present situation in Afghanistan, with strong restrictions to women’s higher education, the master programmes at the Geneva Graduate Institute aim to broaden the reach of Afghan women’s university education abroad, giving them a competitive advantage in the global community. A master could provide access to an academic and diplomatic career, a job in international and non-governmental organisations, or in international corporate companies.
The application procedure involves two successive stages:
- the submission to and evaluation by the Committee of the Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship for Afghan Women, which initially screens the candidates and decides to grant the scholarship;
- the application to one of the Geneva Graduate Institute’s master programmes, where the final admission decision is made.
The Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship
- The Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship is a two-year scholarship. The scholarship beneficiary must prepare a report at the end of their first year of studies with proof of their success. Based on this, the scholarship will be renewed.
- The annual amount of the scholarship is 25,000 Swiss francs.
Conditions
- The scholarship is open to all Afghan women, without consideration of social class, ethnic and regional origin, or religion.
- Applicants must be Afghan women, living in Afghanistan or have close ties with Afghanistan.
- Applicants must meet the Geneva Graduate Institute’s admission requirements. The main requirement to apply for one of the Institute’s master programmes is a bachelor’s degree, or a degree deemed equivalent, in a discipline relevant for the programme. Candidates must also meet the Institute’s language requirements.
- Candidates must send their applications for the Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada Scholarship to the Steering Committee (see procedure below). Then, the selected candidate must apply for one of the Institute’s master programmes and be admitted to receive the scholarship. The two procedures are independent.
Application for the scholarship
By 15 October, candidates must email afghan.scholarships@graduateinstiute.ch, supplying the following documents to the Steering Committee:
- A motivation letter with the following information: the reason they are applying for the Maria Rosario Lazzati Niada scholarship, which Geneva Graduate Institute master programme they would like to apply to and why they chose the Institute, their financial needs, and what their post-graduation plans are.
- A curriculum vitae.
- Copy of university diplomas (from a university accredited by the Swiss authorities: https://aaq.ch) and qualifications obtained.
- Official academic transcripts showing all coursework, accompanied by grades and their value (credits).
The Steering Committee is composed of two members of the Association Arghosha appointed by the Association; two members of the Institute, including at least one professor, appointed by the Geneva Graduate Institute; and at least two persons of Afghan origin or with very close ties to Afghanistan appointed by the members of the Steering Committee. The Committee reviews the applications and contacts the candidates in late November to inform them of their decision regarding the scholarship.
The Steering Committee will help prepare the application file for the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Application to the Geneva Graduate Institute
The Steering Committee’s candidate must then apply to the Geneva Graduate Institute by 15 January (the late round deadline does not apply here): www.graduateinstitute.ch/application
NB: Please note that an English proficiency certificate and two academic references are requested at this stage to apply.
For questions related to study programmes or admission: directionetudes@graduateinstitute.ch