Newsroom

The theme of this year’s campaign is #ChooseToChallenge, a call to challenge inequality and to seek out and celebrate women's achievements. Read on and join us in celebrating the women who create hope, opportunity, and mutual understanding among people in the Middle East, North Africa, and the United States through life-changing opportunities for education and cultural exchanges. 

Meet some of these outstanding young women below and learn how they are advancing in their journeys to become leaders in their fields. They embody our commitment to making it possible for more young women to pursue a path in science by expanding their access to higher education through our Hope Fund and DKSSF programs, as well as the Fulbright Foreign Student Program and the HEI Public University Scholarships program, which we administer:

EGYPT 

The one billion people with disabilities are one of the most excluded groups in our societies and have been among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis in terms of fatalities. At Amideast, we are striving to ensure that our programs and services are accessible and inclusive for as many individuals as possible – a goal that has translated into action in our key focus areas:

Held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the graduation ceremony will include remarks by senior representatives of Amideast, Deputy Mission Director of USAID, and the Ministry of Higher Education. Five students will speak about how this opportunity has impacted their lives. All students will receive graduation certificates and recognition for their accomplishments.

Washington, DC — Schmidt Futures, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust, announced today the opening of applications for Rise, a new global talent program to find outstanding young people who need opportunity, and support them for life as they use their talents to build a better world. Rise is the anchor program of a broader $1 billion commitment from Eric and Wendy Schmidt.

The launch ceremony, which was held in Assiut, was an occasion to celebrate the selection of 40 students for the new program. It was attended by Mr. Mohamed Wehedy of the Ministry of Social Solidarity; Dr. Mohamed El Sayed, deputy director of the Ministry of Education; Ms.

The program, which will last 16 months, is part of a multi-country grant that Citi Foundation has awarded Amideast through its global Pathways to Progress initiative, which prepares youth with career readiness tools and opportunities to thrive in today's economy. In addition to the Assiut-based program in Egypt, the grant will also fund training for 54 underserved youth in Saudi Arabia in employability skills crucial for their success in the rapidly changing Saudi economy.

The Youth Innovation Program will support 100 youth from Irbid, Theban, and Kerak to encourage and promote innovation and product development of market-ready and commercially viable product prototypes through its Arabic-language nine-step ideation, creation, and product-design process. The Ministry, InventionLand, and Amideast will select the top inventions from the program to be evaluated by InventionLand’s team of innovation engineers to mass produce their innovations and earn income for Jordanian youth inventors through established partnerships with major U.S. retailers.