Applications For BBA Scholarships Soar
December 2008
More than 1,000 women in Rwanda have applied for one of the 15 scholarships that will be given out in January as part of the Goldman Sachs BBA Scholarship Program administered by WDI. “We are pleasantly overwhelmed by the number of applications received, which confirms the high demand on the ground,” observes Ayako Ariga, the Project Administrator.
The 15 recipients will attend the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) in Kigali, WDI’s partner in Rwanda. This is the second round of scholarships handed out by WDI and Goldman Sachs. In August, 15 women had their tuition at SFB waived thanks to the program.
The scholarship program focuses on underprivileged but qualified women regardless of age, and brings business education to Rwandan women who have traditionally been denied opportunities in schooling.
All scholarship recipients will receive counseling and mentoring by the program manager and SFB faculty to ensure academic success. The intention is to award 15 renewable scholarships each year, with the program eventually reaching 60 women.
Scholarship recipients will be judged on a number of factors, including financial need and academic readiness. The competition for the scholarship program was widely advertised in Rwanda using local language newspapers, radio advertising and posted notices.
The scholarship program is part of Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women initiative, which was launched in March 2008. It will provide 10,000 women, predominantly in developing and emerging markets around the world, with a business and management education over the next five years.