2009/2010 Beneficiaries
African refugee in Latvia converses with her language instructor and friends
Highlights of the grants (total 6917.52 Swiss francs) in the past year are as follows:
- An African political refugee living in Latvia received a grant for intensive language classes, and has now found a part-time job. A single mother, she works in a restaurant that allows her to take home some food for her child, as the cost of living is very high.
- An Asian women whose husband’s political activities incensed her national government, was forced to seek asylum in Britain. She was given a grant to pay for textbooks for her advanced English classes.
- An African nurse who is a refugee in the U.S. received a grant to cover the fees for her TOEFL exam and the translation and evaluation of her qualification documents. She works as an aide in a care home, but hopes to be qualified as a registered nurse so that she can help support other members of her family.
- An African teacher who fled political upheaval in her country, is now living as an asylee in South Africa. She received a tuition grant for Early Childhood Education courses which will qualify her to open her own home daycare centre. She was also assisted in various ways by SAAWG members in her city.
- A refugee doctor from the Middle East was awarded funds to help pay for her medical qualification examinations in the U.S. She is studying hard and determined to practise as a doctor again soon.
- A French-speaking African lawyer fled civil was and brutality in her country of origin. She is now a refugee in South Africa, and was awarded a grant for English language training.
The Hegg Hoffet Committee would like to thank the National Federations, local branches, and individual members who in 2009 donated a total of 2602 Swiss francs to the Fund. They would especially like to thank the Swiss, Canadian, New Zealand, British, Australian, and American federations for their support of the program.
In addition to raising funds, Committee Members promote personal links between NFAs and the grantees. Prior recipients have provided positive feedback about the success of the grants and the importance of these contacts. Efforts are now underway to advertise the Fund more widely, both through IFUW affiliates and through UN refugee agencies.
Past Beneficiaries
The Hegg Hoffet Fund grants can greatly change the lives of female graduate refugees, as in these examples:
A Colombian doctor in western Canada received a transportation and supplies grant to assist her while taking qualifying courses to work as a nurse. She was able to obtain a student loan for her tuition. They were recently accepted for government housing in a better area, and our grant helped them move to a small townhouse there. She wrote that the “most valuable economic and moral support touches our spirits as human beings”.
Ethopian refugee in Australia assists with AFUW academic dress rental fundraiser
An Ethiopian refugee now living in Australia was unable to find employment in her field of agricultural science without upgrading her computer skills. The AFUW Queensland branch was able to help her find an appropriate course and offer her moral support, and the Fund covered her tuition fees for business computer courses.
An Afghani doctor in Canada was not allowed to practise medicine there. Through the Fund, she received a tuition grant for courses in ultrasound technology, and she also took courses in nursing. Now she works part-time and studies, while caring for her three children. Her husband, also a doctor, is studying to pass Canadian medical examinations, so she has to help support the family.
Five refugees from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, all now living in Switzerland, were funded for a German language course. Their professions include dentistry, chemistry, management, and accounting. They are all taking part in a program which will teach them how to set up their own businesses in Switzerland.
A Sudanese woman with a Bachelor of Science degree fled to Egypt from the fighting and famine in Darfur. She was earning a very low wage teaching primary students in the refugee camp, and applied to the Fund for a tuition grant to take some computer courses and upgrade her skills. She hopes to get a better job and help support her younger siblings who are still in southern Sudan.
Remember!
The Hegg-Hoffet Fund grants rely on the ongoing generous contributions
of IFUW members and other supporters.
