Trust in democracy and the freedom of choice: These are the goals for the provision of scholarships to exceptional female students of the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Since 2019, the Regional Programme Political Dialogue Asia of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung supports women, including women from marginalised communities, from all over Asia with their undergraduate studies at AUW. So far, with this contribution KAS has supported the growth of 25 women from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Nepal. All KAS-AUW scholars are academically exceptional and extraordinarily committed to their community engagement for equal rights and the upliftment of women.
The scholarship programme consists of several aspects for continuous development: First, the undergraduate studies at AUW. Second, the funding and organisational support for internships, which aim to prepare the scholars for their careers after they have graduated. They have chosen to intern with female Members of Parliament, with political institutions, such as embassies and International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) South Asia, with non-governmental organisations like UNICEF as well as community organisations in Myanmar and in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. Third, resembling the extensive scholarship programme of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Germany, the scholarship programme in Asia also empowers through training opportunities and seminars on career development or public speaking, among others. Additionally, the scholars are connected with female politicians from the region, who serve as role models of women empowerment and responsible political leadership.
We are excited about the future for the KAS-AUW scholars and are confident that the students from AUW can positively impact female leadership in Asia.
