UoPeople Receives $ 1 Million Scholarship For Syrian Refugees

University of the People (UoPeople, USA) is a non-profit university with free online education.He recently received a $ 1 million donation to award scholarships to Syrian refugees from the Hoffmann charity (Switzerland), which supports projects in sustainable development and education.

Thanks to this amount, UoPeople has become even closer to its goal of raising $ 2.4 million forgranting scholarships to 500 refugees from Syria who will study for bachelor's degrees in programming and business administration. The University is currently in talks with several organizations willing to provide material support, and its president, Shai Reshef, told The PIE News that he is confident that the second charitable foundation will provide $ 1 million in aid in the coming months. “I feel that our initiative to help refugees from Syria finds a lot of support, and I am sure we will find the resources so that the initiative turns into a real thing,” he says.

Although university tuition is free of charge, students usually pay for an exam at the end of the course, which costs $ 4,000 for undergraduate students. The scholarship covers this amount.At the moment, 100 scholarship students from Syria have already been enrolled in UoPeople and have started taking preparatory courses in English - it is obligatory to pass it in order to start studying in the chosen direction.About half of these students now live in Syria, the rest in Turkey, Germany, Great Britain, Lebanon and other countries.

The University has received 1,300 scholarship applications and Mr. Reshef expects another 250 students to be enrolled next month. He also noted that the issue of Syrian refugees in recent months has been the subject of heated discussions: someone provided humanitarian aid, someone was hostile to them.His opinion is: “I think you need to support them, whether you love them or hate them. I am trying to convey the following: if youdo not want them to come from Syria, give them at least the opportunity to study. Then they will have a better chance of finding a job in any country. "He adds: "And of course, if you want them to go back to Syria and rebuild it, give them an education, teach them how to do it." "This is why many people believe in our initiative."

In parallel with fundraising for scholarships for students from Syria, UoPeople seeks money to support the work of the University itself. To become financially independent, he needs to enroll 4,000 students, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. A further goal is to double their number annually.

Mr. Reshef explains: “Achieving financial stability is an important milestone for us, because although it is great to receive donations, I would like the University to develop on my own.”