Three peacebuilding study grants awarded to Syrian and Kurdish students

The Fundació Autònoma Solidària (FAS), with co-funding from the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation (ACCD) and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), has created the JCP grants to offer university training for women activists from Syria, Irak and Kurdistan. The JCP grants form part of the project coordinated by the International Institute for Nonviolent Action (Novact) and entitled “ASÎTÎ: Fostering the role of young internally displaced persons and refugees in the long-running conflicts of Syria and the KRI and of the youth of the host communities of Jordan and Catalonia in the construction of peace and security, consolidation of democracy and human rights in the Middle East”. 

The grants will cover the full costs of study and living expenses during their stay at the UAB and are offered with the aim of providing specialised training to women from displaced and/or refugee communities, and promote the exchange of university knowledge on peacebuilding and human rights advocacy with Middle Eastern countries.  

The call was a success, with a total of 25 applications from women with very high academic levels. After a long selection process, the three finalists were chosen due to their fully compatible profile: the three women are from Syria, the Kurdistan Region in Iraq and Syrian Kurdistan. Two of them are enrolled in a master's degree in Political Science and one in a master's degree in Advanced English Studies. All three are prominent activists and are particularly involved in fighting for women's rights, and thanks to a master's degree at the UAB, they aspire to contribute to the peacebuilding process in their communities. 

The three students will also form part of the FAS' Welcome Refugee Programme, where their knowledge and experience will contribute greatly to the projects underway.

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