Scholarship Frequently Asked Questions

Iduka’s “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship are awarded on the basis of need and merit, but rewarding talent in specific areas of study is our primary focus. To help us select promising scholarship recipients we follow a set of rules that we want all applicants to understand as they participate in this ongoing scholarship initiative.

What is the Iduka “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship? Who is eligible for this scholarship initiative? What are the application requirements? These are some of the questions we get on daily basis.

FAQ

Some of these questions are already answered by the scholarship’s application guideline you can find on this blog page, but many more you may have are still unanswered.

To help us clarify all queries students may have, we challenge you to send us your questions with your picture to iduka.chapters@gmail.com.

If your question is selected, we will feature it on this blog. This will help us create a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section for our ongoing “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship.

Thanks in advance for your participation!

Another Scholarship Contest Winner

Iduka would like to congratulate, Eric Gitta, the recipient of the most recent scholarship contest election.

Eric is post-graduate student in Education Administration and Management at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

Eric Gitta, Uganda

This scholarship recognizes Eric’s academic achievement as well as his volunteer work as General Secretary for Substance Abuse and Violence Episode Reduction (SAVER UGANDA), where he exercised his leadership skills in managing the organization’s daily operations.

As with all our scholarships, recipients are asked to serve their communities in meaningful ways. Eric was instrumental in promoting Iduka’s programs to local university students in Uganda during the initial phase of our pilot project . He is now actively reaching out to local rural students through his very own Education for Rural Impecunious Children (ERIC). We commend his dedication to providing basic educational opportunities to rural-African students.

Thanks to everyone who applied and made our first scholarship contest a success! We encourage all eligible African students to participate in our “LinkedIn Challenge” scholarships. For more information, please click here.

Iduka “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship

To celebrate President Barack Obama’s visit to LinkedIn Corporation on Monday, Iduka is excited to offer through its African Pilot Project, a number of “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarships.

President Barack Obama

Iduka was formed in response to the need to make college more affordable in our communities, our nation, and the world. In early December 2008, a group of Obama For America volunteers from Port St. Lucie, Florida met to organize a program to help students reach their goal of higher education. The group established a financial aid process that can bring meaningful change in our society.

The purpose of these Iduka “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarships is to make post-secondary education more affordable for our African Pilot Project students and to give them a chance to pay back by volunteering in their local communities. Scholarship recipients must agree to volunteer at local Iduka Chapters to promote our programs and the value of professional social networking that LinkedIn has to offer to college students around the world.

“LinkedIn is expanding rapidly. We have two new members joining every second.” Said Miguel Martim, Iduka’s volunteer Excutive Director and a LinkedIn employee. “Everyone from top CEO’s to President Barack Obama has a LinkedIn profile. We want our students to learn the basics of LinkedIn and start to develop a strategy for success while they’re still in college.”

We encourage all eligible African students, including our student volunteer interns to participate in this challenge. For more information about eligibility and application instructions, please click here.

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(Image source: The White House. Author: Pete Souza. LinkedIn is a registered trademark of LinkedIn Corporation.)

11 Scholarships You Don’t Want to Miss

Do you want to study at a world-class university in the second-largest city in Austria? What about attending one of 38 Australian universities?

If you or any undergraduate, graduate, or postgraduate student you know is looking for a scholarship to study abroad, here are some exciting choices you don’t want to miss.

Some cover most fields of study, while others target very specific areas, like Mechanical Engineering, Environment, and Journalism. Most, however, stress areas of development African countries need in order to stimulate economic growth and alleviate poverty in the region.

You must act now, as some deadlines are approaching fast.

• Shell Petroleum Development Company Niger Delta Scholarship
  • Postgraduate programs, Engineering, Geosciences, Geophysics, Geology, UK
  • Apply by March 28, 2011
• The Aga Khan Foundation
  • Graduate programs, various fields, various locales
  • Apply by March 31, 2011
• Utrecht Excellence Scholarships
  • Undergraduate and graduate programs, various fields, The Netherlands
  • Apply by April 1, 2011
• The Dag Hammarskjöld Scholarship Fund
  • Fellowship, Journalism, USA
  • Apply by April 6, 2011
• Loughborough University
  • Postgraduate programs, Development, UK
  • Apply by April 30, 2011
• Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme
  • Postgraduate programs, various fields, several universities, UK
  • Apply by May 17, 2011
• University of Graz
  • Undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs, various fields, Austria
  • Apply by May 31, 2011
• AusAID ADS and ALA Scholarships
  • Undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs, various fields, Australia
  • Apply by May 31, 2011
• OFID Scholarship
  • Graduate programs, Development, Science, Technology, Engineering, and Environment, various locales
  • Apply June 4, 2011
• Humber College
  • Undergraduate programs, Canada
  • Apply by July 1, 2011
• Commonwealth Scholarships
  • Graduate programs, distance learning in various fields, several universities, UK
  • Apply by September 9, 2011

Having a difficult time making up your mind? Let us know when you do. Do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further assistance with your application process.

Student volunteer interns who successfully completed phase 1 of our Iduka Africa Pilot Project (iAPP) can request their certificate of participation by contacting their regional coordinator. You may need it when applying for some of these scholarships.

New student volunteers and student interns wanting to re-enroll in phase 2, please click here. All others can find out about volunteer opportunities at Iduka by clicking here.

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Scholarship Contest: Step 3

Bevis Omondi, Kenya Coordinator

Step 3: Selection

The iAPP scholarship committee will review, score, and interview all applicants that have advanced to the second round. Scholarship application reviewers will be given application package with personal information hidden from view to guarantee an honest and unbiased review and scoring.

Applicants who are asked to interview will be contacted by Email during the month of May to schedule an interview.

What are we looking for?

In order to be best considered, you should know that we are looking for the following criteria when evaluating your application:

• How well you match our scholarship target areas.
• Demonstrated service and commitment to your community.
• Long-term goals and aspirations.
• Leadership potential.
• Well written essay with examples that showcase your passion for higher education.

Iduka’s Scholarship Committee will make the final selection of the five (5) female and five (5) male applicants to be submitted for peer-voting based on need and who best meets the established criteria. Applicants will be informed no later than Tuesday, May 31, 2011 of the scholarship committee’s decisions.

Deadline reminder

Do not forget that to qualify your nomination, application, essay, and petition must be completed by April 29, 2011. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Please contact our representative(s) in your country should you have additional questions. You may also send your queries to info (at) iduka (dot) org. Please type “Scholarship Contest” on the subject line.

The best of luck to all applicants!

Scholarship Contest: Step 2

Eric Gitta, Uganda Coordinator

Step 2: Evaluation

Iduka’s local representatives, like Eric Gitta in Uganda, are responsible for initial screening of applicants. Applicants will be evaluated based on: financial need, academic performance, leadership, volunteerism, character, creativity, and neatness of application. Upon this preliminary evaluation, all eligible applicants will advance to the second evaluation tier.

If your application makes it to the Scholarship Committee, you are considered to be a good fit for Iduka’s scholarship program. The committee will then evaluate all application essays and conduct the personal interviews. The Scholarship Committee will make final recommendations by the end of May, based on the following point system:

Nominator’s recommendation – 20 pts

Nominee’s application – 20 pts

Nominee’s essay – 30 pts

Interview – 30 pts

Do not forget that to qualify your nomination, application, essay, and petition must be completed by April 29, 2011. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Please contact our representative(s) in your country should you have additional questions. You may also send your queries to info (at) iduka (dot) org. Please type “Scholarship Contest” on the subject line.

The best of luck to all applicants!

Iduka Uganda - improvised poster!

Scholarship Contest: Step 1

David Takawira, Zimbabwe Coordinator

Step 1: Nomination & Application

The nomination & application is the first step in a four-part process of our scholarship contest. To become an applicant you must be nominated by a third party. The nominator should be someone who can confirm your desire to pursue your post-secondary education and your qualifications, strengths, and abilities to meet the demands of a rigorous curriculum. Examples of nominators include, but are not limited to, teachers, college professors, community & religious leaders, and officers at a local community based organizations.

In order to be considered for the Iduka Scholarship Contest, you also need to fill out the online application form and write a 500 word essay. You are also required to sign Iduka’s online petition by requested deadline.

All nominations, applications, essay, and petition must be completed by April 29, 2011.

Please contact our representative(s) in your country should you have additional questions. You may also send your queries to info (at) iduka (dot) org. Please type “Scholarship Contest” on the subject line.

The best of luck to all applicants!

Mag Ngwira, Mozambique Coordinator

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Scholarship Deadline Extension

Raphael Njararuhi, Somalia Coordinator

We have extended our application deadline for the Iduka Scholarship Contest from February 28 to April 29. To apply, be sure to submit the online nominee application form, the nomination form, and the essay form. Also, please make sure to sign our current online petition by requested deadline.

Click on the link to learn more about the Iduka Scholarship Contest.

Best of luck to all students!… and a word of appreciation to all our student outreach members, including those not pictured below!

SOME OF OUR STUDENT VOLUNTEER INTERNS WORKING HARD TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

Sherry Jones, Tanzania Coordinator

Chikumbutso Chanamuna, Angola Coordinator

Raphael Njararuhi, Somalia Coordinator

Bevis Omondi, Kenya Coordinator

Franklin David, Nigeria Coordinator

Sheripher Dinala, South Africa Coordinator

Ruby Folly, Liberia Coordinator

Merveille Kanyere, D.R. Congo, Student Organizer

Sait Matty Jaw, Senegal Coordinator

Nour Hashem, Egypt Coordinator

Francis Gathu, Kenya Student Volunteer

Nathali Mutombo, D.R. Congo, Student Organizer

Isaac Kibassa, D.R. Congo, Student Organizer

Fiston Nsimba, D.R. Congo, Student Organizer

Mokhtar Omar, North Africa Coordinator

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Need more time to apply?

Joseph Waweru, Raphael Njararuhi, Mohamed Elmi - Iduka Somalia

Name(required)

Email(required)

Joseph Waweru, Hussein Hosh, Raphael Njararuhi - Iduka Somalia

1. Do you need more time to apply for scholarship?(required) Yes

No

2. Will you apply if deadline is extended?(required) Yes

Maybe

No

3. Are application instructions clear?(required) Yes

Somewhat

No

4. Do you understand the Scholarship Contest four step process?(required) Yes

Somewhat

No

5. What is the most confusing part of the process?(required) Application

Nomination

Essay

PitchIT! Challenge

Signing online petition

None of the above

Explain briefly.

6. Do you understand that to apply you must vote for Iduka on the PitchIT! Challenge?(required) Yes

No

7. Do you understand that to apply you need to sign Iduka's online petition?(required) Yes

No

8. Any ideas on how to get more students to participate?

TO APPLY…

Shehab Mekky, Egypt Coordinator

…JUST FOLLOW THESE TWO LINKS.

1) Click here to sign online petition.

2) And here for application instructions.

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Call For Scholarship Nominations

Junior Kashala, D.R. Congo Student Volunteer Intern

The 2011 Iduka Scholarship Contest is now accepting nominations.

Iduka will be awarding two scholarships to underserved, underrepresented, and/or underprivileged African students who reside and intend to pursue post-secondary education in an African country participating in Iduka’s Africa Pilot Project (iAPP).

We encourage all eligible African students, including our student volunteer interns to participate in this contest.

• Student application must be completed and submitted by February 11, 2011.
• The nomination, the student essay, and the online petition signing are due on February 28, 2011.

To learn more about the 2011 Iduka Scholarship Contest, please visit this…

…page…

…page…page…page…page…

Neville Albert, Kenya - Scholarship Recipient

Micro-financing education, one student at a time.

Do not hesitate to contact our representatives in your country if you need any assistance regarding this initiative. You may also leave your queries or comments on this blog page.

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