New Scholarship for Azmina
When I was a professor of journalism in the public interest at Allegheny College, my colleague, Jolie, was raising funds for a former student. Jolie taught political science courses at the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh, before joining the faculty at Allegheny. I mentioned our nonprofit to her and told her we might be in a position to offer her former student, Azmina, some scholarship support.
We had already committed to a four-year scholarship for MaryJoy in the Philippines; however, the board agreed we could help Azmina with the funds she needed to complete her master’s degree in the Gender and Peacebuilding program, at the UN-mandated University for Peace, in Costa Rica.
In her letter of application, Azmina outlined her interest in and dedication to gender studies.
“I am the anomaly who portrays hope, passion and determination to bring about positive changes in the community, despite being a girl. I belong to a country, Bangladesh, where 56.43% of girls drop out from school, where a significant portion of the female population marries between the ages of sixteen and nineteen and do not get to continue their studies. I am not just another statistic like these; I beat all these odds. Taking several gender studies courses, I got to work on numerous projects related to gender issues, including producing documentary films on domestic violence that talked openly about gender-based discrimination. One of my films on domestic violence, Because I am a Girl, which received an international award, portrays how if a husband is violent to his wife, it is either resolved within the family or left unresolved in the name of sanctity of the relationship. All these experiences made me question again and again the gender hierarchy and patriarchal power structure.”
Click through to see a video interview Azmina and her team conducted as part of a research project about gender discrimination by students of the Access Academy / Asian University for Women.
We awarded Azmina $1700 for assistance covering her costs for housing and books.
