Amideast Announces Yemen Emergency Student Support Fund

This is an update for both donors and the broader Amideast community on the status of the Yemen Emergency Student Support Fund, which was established by Amideast to help Yemeni students in the United States whose financial status has been directly impacted by the current crisis in Yemen. To date, thanks to generous donations provided by private individuals, including Sheikh Abdullah Ahmed Bugshan, we will be able to provide one-time grants to 14 highly-qualified, degree-seeking Yemeni students currently studying at higher education institutions throughout the United States. We are pleased to be able to make these contributions to assist Yemeni students complete their studies in the United States.

We are pleased to announce a new initiative to assist Yemeni students currently enrolled at accredited U.S. institutions who are facing financial hardships due to the Yemen crisis. The initiative, the Yemen Emergency Student Support Fund (YESSF), will provide critical, one-time financial support to selected students to enable them to continue their higher studies in the U.S.

According to IIE's Open Doors Report, 440 Yemeni students were in the U.S. as of 2014, with more anticipated enrollments during the current academic year. Seventy percent of Yemeni students in the U.S. are sponsored in part or fully by their families, according to EducationUSA assessments. Business revenue has diminished and, in some cases, halted as a result of the crisis, significantly reducing or even freezing family income. YESSF therefore fills a critical and urgent gap.

Our comprehensive selection and review process will assure that the students with the most critical needs are assisted through YESSF. Students are required to work with their local university representatives to submit their applications; these institutional representatives will verify the student’s current academic and financial status and submit all required documents directly to Amideast. Candidates will then be objectively screened based on a number of pre-established eligibility criteria, and short-listed candidates will be interviewed by our selection committee. After the interviews and a thorough review of all eligible applications, our selection committee will award support funds to chosen finalists.

We kindly request your consideration to support Yemeni students impacted by the crisis by making a tax-free donation through Amideast. Further details, as well as the online donation form, are available here.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the program representative by email or by phone at 202-776-9613 with any questions.