Approach
Meaningful, sustainable change demands leaders who are rooted in their culture, who are familiar with challenges and opportunities, and who believe in the promise and potential of Afghanistan.
The challenges Afghanistan faces are deeply rooted. Solving them will take engagement from many over a prolonged period of time. FEDAA’s contribution to the effort is to educate leadership talent. Our approach draws on factors required to affect enduring change:
Leaders inside the country, working to make real what’s possible
Those most directly impacted, engaged in the change effort
A broad and diverse coalition of people united by common purpose and shared values committed to shape and make real the change effort
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We partner with universities that share our vision and values.
There are over 100 universities in Afghanistan. We have chosen to partner with only a handful that:
Rank in the top tier of universities as ranked by uniRank™ the leading international higher education directory
Have a clear vision and strategic plan in place to achieve the vision
Publish regular impact results
Have a robust and broad-based international network of partners whose experience, expertise and resources can be leveraged
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We select promising leaders committed to stay in Afghanistan.
Each year FEDAA Scholarships are awarded to outstanding applicants to pursue a university degree. The selection criteria are:
Outstanding intellectual ability
Reasons for choice of study
Commitment to improving the lives of Afghans
Leadership potential
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We fund FEDAA Scholarships so leaders can pursue their educational aspirations.
We envision an Afghanistan in which all qualified high school graduates have access to higher education regardless of financial, geographic, political or personal circumstances.
Funded by the generosity of donors across the globe, FEDAA’s mission is to award 5,000 university scholarships to outstanding talent and to provide them with financial support at a few of Afghanistan’s leading universities.
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We foster community to nurture continuous learning and impact.
FEDAA graduates are entrepreneurs working to bring big ideas to life. They’re teachers instructing young Afghans how to read and write. They’re doctors and nurses saving lives and improving health. They’re stay-at-home parents nurturing children. They’re government workers across the political spectrum working to improve the lives of compatriots.
The FEDAA network is a diverse alumni coalition we strengthen by bringing graduates together to learn from one another, share stories of triumphs and setbacks, and debate ideas on how to affect positive change.
Why Now
Our mission is to educate Afghans, because we believe education is a fundamental human right and is essential for the exercise of all other human rights. Education provides freedom and empowerment and informs the very essence of our being.
Our work in Afghanistan is focused on the pragmatic objective of educating Afghans so they can support themselves and their families, become an effective work force, contribute to an economy that works for all, and ultimately serve broader social needs. These outcomes we seek are independent of political institutions and ideologies of the day.