Purpose
The Hegg Hoffet Fund for Displaced Women Graduates assists graduate women (in special cases tertiary women students) who have been displaced as a result of war, political upheaval or other serious emergencies. Some are fleeing gender-related atrocities in their home countries, such as rape, honour crimes, forced marriage and female mutilation. Others fear for their lives because of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. Arriving in a new country, most face complex challenges to integration, among them language difficulties, unemployment, rejection of foreign qualifications and the need for retraining.
IFUW’s Hegg Hoffet Fund provides short term grants for refresher courses for re-entry into the candidates’ professional field (or if that is not possible, training courses leading to some other employment), and for language training and other courses to assist with integration into their new countries. In addition to financial assistance, IFUW’s national and local groups also provide the graduate refugees with moral support to help them to adjust to life in a different country.
This Asian doctor (in photo) was forced to flee to Europe with her ailing husband and two children after her parents were murdered and other family members threatened. At first she suffered overwhelming depression, but with our encouragement she began to look for opportunities to improve their situation. She managed to obtain a university scholarship to retrain in another health field, and the Fund gave her a grant for advanced language courses so that she would have a better chance of getting a job after graduation. Her husband is unable to work, so she will need to support the family. She was delighted with the moral support received, and sends the Hegg Hoffet Committee regular updates on her progress.
In the case of serious natural disasters, IFUW’s national federations and associations may apply for short-term grants on behalf of university women or women students within their countries who have suffered hardship due to the disaster and who wish to continue their work or studies.
How can you help?
Contributions by IFUW members and other supporters make the Hegg Hoffet Grants possible. Donations are needed throughout the year to help graduate women refugees make a successful transition in their new countries. We welcome donations of any size, whether one-time gifts or annual commitments.
