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Scholarship
The OPEC Fund Scholarship Award supports outstanding young individuals from developing countries so that they are able to pursue graduate studies in a development-related field. This year, the OPEC Fund received more than 7,400 applications from aspiring academics from its beneficiary countries. After qualifying, many of the OPEC Fund’s student ambassadors have returned to their home countries to work in development-related fields.
Kindly note that the OPEC Fund is currently restructuring its scholarship program and will not be accepting applications at this time. Updated information will be available later in the year. Meanwhile, please do take a look at the internship program we offer - https://opecfund.org/career-opportunities/internships.
Winners of the 2019 Scholarship Award:
Cristhian David Pulido Contecha, Colombia
will study Development Economics at the University of Sussex, UK.
Chung Do, Vietnam
will study Physical and Land Resources at the University of Ghent, Belgium.
Beatrice Hati Gitundu, Kenya
will study Urban Management and Development at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Sumaia Islam, Bangladesh
will study Urban Management and Development at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Tracy Lewis, Belize
will attend Utrecht University, Netherlands, to study Cultural Anthropology: Sustainable Citizenship.
Eden Tsehaye, Ethiopia
will study Geo-information Science and Earth Observation at the University of Twente, Netherlands.
Melisa Slep, Argentina
will study Development Management at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Prior scholarship recipients
Abdishakur Ahmed
from Somalia, who will pursue an MA in Sustainable Development, and Conflict Resolution and Coexistence, at Brandeis University, USA.
Nji Atanga Desmond
from Cameroon, who has been accepted onto an MSc in Health Economics at the University of East Anglia
Alazar Woldeyohannes
from Ethiopia, who will be studying Structural Engineering at the University of Manchester.
Amayaa Wijesinghe
from Sri Lanka, who will be studying at the University of Oxford for an MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management.
Evelyn Changala
from Zambia, will pursue an MA in Development Studies at the University of Sussex.
Hayattullah Bayan
from Afghanistan, who will complete an MA in Governance, Development and Public Policy at the University of Sussex.
Israa Mohamed
from Sudan, who will study Public Health for Development at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Maria Ines Cubides Kovacsics
from Colombia, who will be studying at the International Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University, for an MA in Development Studies.
Mariana Javakhyan
from Armenia, who will pursue her MSc in Sustainable Development at the University of Sussex.
Thokozani Chapomba
from Malawi, who will pursue an MPH in Public Health – Health Management Planning and Policy, at the University of Leeds.
Sarah Al-Furasi
Yemen, is attending the University of Birmingham, UK, for an MSc in Public and Environmental Health Sciences.
Ahmed Khair
Sudan, is studying at Oxford University, UK, for an MSc in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies.
Alaa Mohamed
Egypt, is attending the University of Sheffield for a Master’s in Molecular Medicine.
Anthony Musiwa
Zimbabwe, is studying at the University of Bristol for an MSc in Policy Research.
Olive Musoni
Rwanda is pursuing her MA in Social Work at the University of Alabama, USA.
Phuong Tran
Vietnam, is working towards an MA in Global Health at the Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
Amgalanzaya Tserenbaljir
Mongolia, is attending the University of Glasgow for an MA in Adult Education, Community Development and Youth Work.
Christelle Umuhoza
Rwanda, is studying at the University of Bradford, UK, for her MA in International Development Management.
Vanessa Williams-Rodriguez
Guyana, is attending the University of Sussex for an MSc in Social Development.
Noon Altijani
Sudan, who will study for an MSc in Global Health Sciences at Oxford University in the UK.
Collins Acheampong
Ghana, who will pursue an MSc in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation for Water Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Twente in the Netherlands.
Beryl Ajwang'
Kenya, who will study for an MSc in Environmental Management-Energy and Environment at the Yale School of Environment and Forestry in Connecticut.
Rahbar Ansari
Nepal, who will pursue an MA in Public Policy at the Central European University in Hungary.
Baker Kasawuli
Uganda, who aims at obtaining an MA in Sustainable International Development at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management, at Brandeis University in Massachusetts.
Aisuluu Abdyldaeva
from Kyrgyzstan has shown great courage and determination in the pursuit of her goals. She is passionately committed to the economic and social development of her country and hopes that a Master’s in International Management from the University of Roehampton, UK, will assist her to fulfil a dream: to establish her own organization developing and supporting future leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals. “I am convinced that our governance system needs an inflow of young forward-thinking people. That’s why one of the directions of my future organization’s activities will be supporting and educating young leaders, encouraging them to go beyond the scope of an issue and think differently.”
Doaa Althalathini
works for an economic empowerment program advising and supporting Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip through the planning and start-up of micro-enterprises. As a local, Doaa knows the importance of empowerment and opportunity for her people: “Micro and small enterprises happen to be one of the best solutions toward self-sufficiency, growing employment, empowerment and poverty alleviation, especially for women,” she says. A Master’s degree in Poverty and Development from the University of Sussex, UK, will help Doaa learn innovative approaches and new concepts, which she intends to share with colleagues in the economic empowerment program and use to introduce “effective measures to ensure sustainable sources of income” for her people.
Jennet Druscilla Buck
from Sierra Leone is a pharmacist working at the Ministry of Health and Sanitation. She says: “There is a huge gap in the healthcare delivery system in the country. There is also a daily problem dealing with the high influx of fake and substandard drugs bought into the country both legally and illegally, which claim the lives of many.” With the support of the OFID Scholarship, Jennet will study for a Master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Science with Management Studies at Kingston University, UK. She told OFID: “The development of our country depends on us Sierra Leoneans … I want to see development in every sector, but especially in the health sector … I want to be part of the force behind the change.”
Myriam Castaneda
from Guatemala plans on using her education to tackle the challenges of health and education which she describes as the “pillars of development.” With the help of the scholarship she will be pursuing an MSc in Social Policy and Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Myriam is passionate about working to overcome illiteracy and malnutrition in her home country which affects women and children especially. She told OFID that her “will power will help in the transformation of the current despair, felt by over 14 million Guatemalans, into a promising future.”
Maldon Goodridge
who hails from Barbados, has completed a Master’s in Sustainable Energy Technologies at the University of Southampton, UK. Since completing his degree, Maldon endeavors to implement energy efficient programs in secondary schools back home. He has the wider hope to contribute to the development of optimal energy solutions in his country and in the Caribbean nations.
Maja Pecanac
from Bosnia-Herzegovina, completed her degree – an LLM in Human Rights, Conflict and Justice at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, UK. During her studies, Maja provided pro bono assistance to the Minority Rights GroupInternational. Moreover, she assisted the US-based NGO Global Youth Connect in their work on post-genocide reconciliation and human rights exploration programs in Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina. She has returned home and hopes to make a significant contribution in her country by raising awareness and promoting opportunities for victims of conflict and poverty.
Alaa Alaizoki
Alaa Alaizoki has completed his MSc in Food Safety, Hygiene and Management from the University of Birmingham, UK. Before completing his Master's, Alaa worked for over two years at the Department of Health Control in the city of Hama. He also worked as a volunteer with the Aga Khan Foundation, in cooperation with UNICEF, helping distribute food baskets. The OFID scholarship allowed Alaa to pursue his passion to bring safe and healthy food to his country. Alaa was one of the top in his class and has been awarded an Aga Khan Foundation Scholarship to complete his PhD at the University of Birmingham's School of Chemical Engineering. His thesis will build upon his Master's dissertation topic on meat safety as a critical issue of health and safety in his country.
Khaled Mohamed
from the Sudan is passionate about environmental engineering and is eager to assist his country. He has completed his Master's in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development at the Imperial College in London, UK.
Preety Baboo
developed a passion for sustainable energy and environmental development. A national of Mauritius, Preety studied for a Master's in Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy Systems at Leeds University, UK. She returned to her country with the hope of contributing to the development of the energy sector through the knowledge she gained during her studies.
Bhushan Guragain
from Nepal, is a medical doctor for the NGO Center for Victims of Torture. After completing his Master's in Global Health at Harvard School of Public Health in Massachusetts, USA, he returned to Nepal. Bhushan is currently working with victims of violence in the field of peace building, human rights and mental health. He was active in providing relief support and psychological aid for victims of the Nepal earthquake in 2015.
Farah Hijjawi
completed her Master’s in Development Finance at the University of Manchester, UK. During her studies, Farah managed local and international funding campaigns for the relief of the Syrian people. She has returned to Amman with a “better understanding and a clearer vision of how to contribute to the development of her country.”
Sonel Pyram
is passionate about economics and is eager to serve his country, Haiti, and contribute to its economic development. He has completed his Master's in Economics at the Université Laval in Québec, Canada and hopes to become a university professor.
Ana Potoroca
from Moldova has completed her Master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of Sussex, UK. After completing her degree, she returned to her home country. She is currently working as a Monitoring and Evaluation officer for a US-based consultancy supporting projects in Africa and South Asia. Ana intends to expand the reach of her work in impact evaluations to further benefit her own country and Eastern Europe.
Keith Mudadi
from Zimbabwe has completed his Master’s in Finance and Development at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. After graduating, Keith pursued a career in development. He moved to Tunisia to work as a consultant in the African Development Bank, examining the role of state in economic development and the dynamics of institutions in structural transformation. Keith is currently working towards a PhD in Economic Development and Growth in Turkey.
Michelle Palacios
from Guatemala, graduated from the University Complutense de Madrid in Spain to pursue a Master’s in Environmental Development. Following her degree, Michelle began her PhD research, which focuses on using econometric measurements to determine the impact of women in rural areas of Guatemala.
Read more
View video clips of OFID's interview with Michelle.
Didier Kadjo
from Côte d’Ivoire, received a Master’s in Agricultural Economics at Purdue University. After completing his graduate studies, Kadjo won the Borlaug LEAP fellowship from USAID to pursue PhD research. He is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Agricultural Economics and is a graduate research assistant at Purdue University.
Anthony Bayega
from Uganda completed his Master’s in Biomedical Sciences from King’s College London. Since graduating, Anthony is pursuing a PhD in Microbiology. He is interested in dedicating himself to work on infectious diseases, specifically HIV, which is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. Through his research, he aims to develop alternative monoclonal antibody-based therapies against Hepatitis C virus.
Robert Pwazaga
from Ghana, received his Master's in International Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Robert currently works at World Vision International as an area development program manager. Since graduation, Robert has undertaken a number of research activities in the fields of governance, political economy and accountability, taxation, and foreign aid.
Sameen Shahid
from Pakistan, pursued a Master’s in Public Administration in International Development at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. Since completing her Master’s, Sameen was project manager for a two-year national media campaign for education reforms in Pakistan. Following this experience, she has been teaching at a school to get a better understanding of the issues within the education sector.
Ismat Lotia
from Pakistan, completed her Master’s degree in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA. Since graduating from the program in May 2009, she has returned to work as an epidemiologist and program managerat the NGO “Interactive Research and Development” (IRD) in Karachi. IRD is a non-profit institute that seeks to bring together scientists and entrepreneurs with a view to maximizing the impact of health interventions in poor communities.
Leah Manuzon Mejia
from the Philippines, who was granted OFID's first-ever Scholarship Award to pursue her Master’s degree in Public Administration at the University of Southern California, USA. She graduated with honors in May 2009 and made the Dean's list by achieving a nearly perfect grade point average.
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