Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently inviting Applications for The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Scholarship Program 2012. Started in 2007, this program is an initiative of Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The program was started to strengthen mutual ties between the Arab world and the Netherlands in the areas of education, culture and trade. This Program provides an excellent opportunity to mid career professionals from Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Syria and Tunisia to do a short course in the Netherlands.
Program Purpose
The MENA Scholarship Program aims to contribute to capacity building within a wide range of governmental, non-governmental and private organisations and institutions in seven selected countries which include Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Syria and Tunisia. Moreover, the growing MENA alumni network will make a positive contribution to the relations between the Netherlands and the alumni’s home countries. Each year around 120 scholarships are proportionally distributed among the participating countries. Ideally, half of the scholarships are allocated to female applicants.
Scholarship Provisions
A MENA scholarship is a contribution to the costs of the selected short course and is intended to supplement the salary that the scholarship holder must continue to receive during the study period. The following items are covered:
– subsistence allowance
– international travel costs
– visa costs
– course fee
– medical insurance
– allowance for study materials.
Duration
The Program will run between January and December 2012. All courses will be conducted in 2012 and have a duration of between two and twelve weeks.
Eligibility criteria
A candidate applying for a MENA scholarship must:
– apply for a course on the MENA course list 2012;
– not have received a MENA Scholarship in the three years prior to the start of the proposed MENA course;
– complete a MENA scholarship application form and submit all the required documentation to the Netherlands Embassy;
– be a national of and working in one of the seven selected countries;
– be a mid-career professional with at least three years’ work experience;
– not be employed by:
-> a multinational corporation (e.g. Shell, Unilever);
-> a large national and/or commercial organisation;
-> a bilateral donor organisation (e.g. USAID, DFID, Danida, Sida, BuZa, FinAid, AusAid, ADC, SwissAid);
-> a multilateral donor organisation, (e.g. a UN organisation, the World Bank, the IMF, Asian Development Bank, African Development Bank, IADB);
-> an international NGO (e.g. Oxfam, Plan, Care).
– meet the admission requirements of the selected course. As such he or she must have at least a diploma or a bachelor’s degree in one of the selected fields of study and meet other educational or professional requirements, which may vary per course. These requirements can be found on the MENA course list available in chapter 10 of this brochure. Please also contact the institution directly for more information.
– be nominated by his or her employer, who pledges to continue to pay a substantial part of the candidate’s salary during the study period, and guarantees that at the end of the scholarship period the candidate will be offered a position at least equivalent to the current position;
– demonstrate a solid link between his or her work and the selected course; the course must have added value for the sustainable capacity development of the employing organisation and the development of the country;
Last date for submitting the applications is March 1, 2012.
For more information, visit this link.
