Asian University for Women (AUW) and Bayer AG have announced that Bayer will fund the university education of sixteen AUW students through the Bayer Scholarship Program to aim for women's empowerment among marginalized, rural agricultural communities in Bangladesh.
The announcement was made at a press conference on Wednesday.
According to AUW, Bayer is pledging $675,000 to the program. The scholarships will cover two years of pre-collegiate study and the first year of AUW’s three-year undergraduate degree program and will run from August 2022 to July 2025.
However, Bayer will also provide internships to sixteen AUW students who hold an interest in agribusiness.
Nine of the sixteen Bayer Scholars will be selected by AUW from the rural farming communities of Bangladesh, and seven will be selected from other smallholder farming communities in South and Southeast Asia.
Bayer will amplify the scholarship program and actively promote this education opportunity through its field force network in South Asia, which serves as a trusted partner to many rural farming families.
All students will be the first in their families to attend university, supporting AUW’s belief that all women deserve a right to pursue higher education regardless of socioeconomic status, nationality, or religion.
Recipients of this scholarship are selected from rural farming communities based on their academic excellence, demonstrated leadership, outrage at injustice, and drive to create change in their communities and beyond.
Monika Lessl, senior vice president at Corporate R&D and Social Innovation and executive director of Bayer Foundation said: ”Under this facility, the selected women students will not only transform their lives through education but also serve as a beacon of hope to other women students in their communities.
Kamal Ahmad, founder of the Asian University for Women said: "By providing scholarships to the women of landless agricultural workers would create a pathway to discover and nurture the teeming talents."