In August-October 2024, the Institute of International Education (IIE) Ukraine Office held a competition for a new assistance award, Education for the Future of Ukraine, designed to support Ukrainians who have been impacted the most by the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine in their efforts to obtain quality education and further their professional development.
A total of 173 applications were submitted to participate in the program. After careful consideration of all the proposals by a selection panel, we were able to award stipends of up to $1,000 each to 25 program finalists. The program grantees include current servicemen of the Armes Forces of Ukraine, war veterans, and ordinary Ukrainians from all walks of life who lost their spouses or fathers in the war, gave up their jobs or university studies to become active volunteers for the Ukrainian Army, care for their spouses who have been severely disabled in combat, and uphold Ukrainian education under russian occupation.
Stipends were awarded to 14 women and 11 men. The scholarship recipients represent various age groups (the youngest are 18 years old, while the oldest is 70 years old) and all regions of Ukraine, including the occupied territories (some grantees are internally displaced persons who have relocated from the occupied areas of Ukraine to the government-controlled territories). The awardees come from a range of different backgrounds – students, mid-life professionals in various areas, active and discharged military, schoolteachers, etc.
The scholarships funded the following educational activities undertaken by the grantees: 1) short-term trainings and courses in psychology and psychological rehabilitation, 2) university degrees in psychology, economics, law, medicine, organizational management, journalism, national security, information technologies, 3) English language courses, 4) driving courses, and 5) non-traditional programs such as astrology, massage, floristry, and jewelry design.
We thank all the applicants for their interest in the program and sincerely hope that the awarded scholarships will give the awardees a powerful impetus to pursue their education and professional growth as a worthy response to the heavy toll that the war has taken on their personal lives.
