The Horizon Foundation has been partnering with UWC since 2006, when they enabled two Palestinian students to attend UWC Atlantic. The excellent reputation of UWC Atlantic was definitely a factor that motivated the Foundation to launch a global scholarship partnership with UWC in 2016. The scholarship funds refugees and youth affected by conflict, occupation or exile with a focus on Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria, and Tibetans in India. So far, the Horizon Foundation has supported 90 scholars to attend UWC schools. The Horizon Foundation’s mission of developing a well-rounded and internationally-aware generation through exemplary education is very much in line with UWC’s mission to make education a force for peace. By providing educational opportunities and scholarship support to young people aged 16 to 19, the Foundation seeks not only to offer new horizons for youth but also to foster positive change in their communities. As such, educational projects – especially for young people who don’t have access to similar opportunities - is a core part of the Foundation’s philanthropic action. Students supported by the Foundation are eligible for the Davis UWC Scholarship Program following graduation from their UWC school, which provides access to tertiary education not otherwise possible. The support that Horizon-UWC scholars receive from the Horizon
THE UWC REFUGEE INIATIVE
Foundation does not end after their graduation. The Horizon Foundation has recently created the Scholar Development Fund (SDF), which aims to provide additional support to enhance the study experience of their scholars and support community engagement at school, university and post-university. The fund encourages scholars to promote cross-cultural understanding at their educational institutions and back home with projects ranging from events to providing seed funding to set up projects that serve the needs of their community.
In 2015, together with the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and in conjunction with the Near East Foundation, we launched the Aurora-UWC Gratitude Scholarship Programme. This initiative was established in gratitude to the people from countries who offered shelter and food to those displaced by the Armenian Genocide more than a century ago. So far, the Gratitude Scholarship Programme has supported 43 students affected by conflict, displacement and poverty by offering them the opportunity to study at one of 18 UWC schools worldwide. Each Aurora-UWC Scholar is either a refugee or internally displaced person, living in extreme poverty, or living with the loss of a parent or guardian. Hailing from Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Greece, Egypt, Ethiopia and Palestinian Camps in Lebanon, every Aurora-UWC Scholar shows great potential for becoming an advocate for a more peaceful and sustainable future. In parallel, since 2016 Young Aurora has also provided students from UWC schools (and, since 2018, the African Leadership Academy) with the opportunity to design and implement projects that will make a positive impact by addressing an area of humanitarian concern in their local school community. Each year, the winning team gets access to a financial grant to further the development of their project.
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