DEADLINE: 20 JANUARY 2023
The Ashinaga Africa Initiative provides access to full financial support to study at university abroad (equivalent to an undergraduate degree), including tuition, room, travel costs and other necessary fees. The programme has three stages.
1. Study Camp and Preparation Camp
Ashinaga will select students from each sub- Saharan African country to participate in a Study Camp in Uganda from July to December 2023. During the Study Camp, students are assisted in their academic preparation, university applications (to either Japan, the U.K., the U.S.A., or Europe), career planning and leadership development. After completing the Study Camp, the students will progress to a second camp called Preparation Camp. This happens between April and June 2024. Students meet again to prepare for the social, cultural, and academic differences they will discover abroad. Students will then proceed to university in August or September of 2024. All the costs during both camps are fully covered by Ashinaga.
Students who wish to join the Japanese language track, in which they study in the Japanese language at a university in Japan, will follow a similar schedule, however, they will focus on intensive Japanese language learning throughout the Study Camp. After the Study Camp, they will move to Japan to spend one or two years at a language school prior to starting their university studies.
2. During University
The AAI helps students access full financial support to study abroad. The support covers the first possible qualification that can be earned, and the costs of a foundation or preparatory course will also be covered if required. Scholars will participate in a mandatory internship in their home country or sub-Saharan Africa and join Ashinaga’s leadership development programmes.
3. After Graduation
Scholars have the responsibility to return to their home countries or sub-Saharan Africa within four years after graduating and contribute to the country/region while living there for at least one year. They will have to contact Ashinaga during this period to provide information about their activity and residency.
ELIGIBILITY
The AAI is open to students who:
have lost one or both parents
Were born after 1st September 2000
Do not have the means to attend university abroad without external financial support.
have completed secondary school and received the results of their national secondary school examination, within the last two years, or will have completed secondary school and received final exam results before February 28th, 2023
is and citizen and have completed / are completing high school in the Kingdom of Eswatini
Are regularly ranked in the top 10% of their class during their last 2 or 3 years of secondary school.
Can participate in the two Ashinaga preparatory programmes, over the course of one year, before attending university.
Are committed to return home, or to sub-Saharan Africa, and contribute to society in sub-Saharan Africa after graduating from university.
Have no dependents who could interfere with academic progress.
APPLICATION PROCESS
There are two stages to the Ashinaga Africa Initiative application process:
1. Applicant Registration: you must first confirm your eligibility by registering for the programme. Only applicants who register for the programme and are deemed eligible will receive the application form by email. Each decision about an applicant’s eligibility is based on the criteria and their academic record.
2. Application: you will receive an email with a link to the application form within 1 month of your registration if you are eligible for the programme.
The application form can be completed using an online or a paper form to be submitted via email. You are strongly recommended to apply online. The link to the online application system is: https://ashinaga.smapply.net/
REQUIREMENTS
You will be required to submit the following documents at each stage of the application process:
Registration
Photo or scan of either your passport, ID or birth certificate
Photo or scan of your most recent High School Term Report/Transcript
Photo or scan of your final High School Examination Results Certificate (if applicable
Full Application
Passport style photograph.
Birth certificate of applicant
Passport or National ID Card.
Death certificate of deceased parent(s), including the deceased parent’s name, or alternative official documentation proving death of parent(s) or orphan status.
All term reports / secondary school transcripts from the last 2 years.
Final secondary school examination certificate, showing grades in each subject.*
A letter of recommendation from a principal or school teacher. This should be inclusive of their email address, phone number and must contain information about your performance and character whilst at secondary school. All recommendation letters should contain an official signature or stamp.
Academic transcripts or other results from university (if applicable).
Certificates for extracurricular activities, training courses, jobs or commitments (if applicable).
*For students receiving their examination results in February 2023, you will be asked to send your examination certificate as soon as possible after you have received it.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Becoming a Scholar: Students will only officially become Scholar of the Ashinaga Africa Initiative after receiving admission from a university and a visa from the potential country of study. Please know that joining the Study and Preparation Camp does NOT guarantee admission to university or visa acceptance. University admission and visa application are the student’s own responsibility, but Ashinaga will do its best to support students in both.
Choosing a subject / country / university: Ashinaga takes students’ goals and preferences into account but has the right to make the final decision with regards to selection of major, country and university. Students are able to express their initial choice of major at the time of interview, and a final decision will be made during the course of the Study Camp through consultation with Ashinaga. Scholars will normally apply to the universities that Ashinaga has an existing relationship with and therefore it is not possible for students to choose universities themselves.
Please note Ashinaga does not support candidates for medical (doctor), dentistry, veterinary science or pharmacy degrees, although it does support three or four-year degrees in biomedicine. In addition, candidates wishing to study engineering should be aware that we will require particularly strong and relevant high school grades for a successful application.
REGISTER: