In May 2019, we proudly announced the launch of the Eritrean Diaspora Network (EDN) Scholarship Fund. Here at EDN, we have a passion and vision for providing access to higher education in our community. We recognize that funding for college is a challenge facing many students, and launching this scholarship fund has been a long-time goal for our organization. For the inaugural year of the scholarship, our EDN Scholarship Award Committee received over fifty applications from highly accomplished Eritrean Students throughout the country, three of who we were able to award with $1,000 Scholarships each. This year we hope to repeat this success with your help, and implore you to donate to the fund. Here’s a little bit about last year’s three awardees and the impact the EDN Scholarship made on their educational pursuits. 

Agazeet Haile is a freshman currently attending Kennesaw State University as an Anthropology major. Agazeet plans on obtaining a Ph.D. and hopes to research in Eritrea and gather modern history about the culture, population, and ecosystem. She shared with us that the funds from the scholarship would help her focus on her educational and research goals while relieving the pressure of paying for school. 

Ghelatia Araia will be graduating this year with a bachelor’s degree in Biology from American University. Ghelatia is determined to finish school and pursue her dreams of becoming Dr. Araia. She too shared that she will be using her scholarship award to ease her financial obligations. 

Raymok Ketema is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of History at UC Santa Barbara. Raymok will be using the funds to travel back to Eritrea and conduct very important fieldwork research particularly on the way different works of art were used as forms of resistance during the Eritrean-Ethiopian war. 

You can learn more about the 2019 recipients here. As a direct result of their hard work and determination, they have proven to be students that our Committee wanted to recognize and support on their educational journey.  

It is through the commitment and support of you all that we were able to provide scholarships. We are extremely grateful for everyone who contributed to our scholarship fund and allowed us to provide support to these outstanding Eritrean students. In that spirit, the EDN Scholarship Award Committee will be reconvening and awarding Scholarships to Eritrean-American students in 2020. Last year, we were able to raise $4,176 from various efforts including our Independence Day Party and individual donations received through CrowdRise. This year our goal is to match that amount in order to support three more students. To meet this ambitious goal, we need your help!

We recognize the many challenges and financial implications of the unprecedented time we are in. We now remain committed, more than ever, to raise funds to support Eritrean students and hopefully provide some financial relief for the 2020-21 academic year. Although we will not be holding our annual Independence Day Party in-person, we will be having a Virtual Independence Day Party and Scholarship Fundraiser on Saturday, May 23, 2020 at 7pm PST/ 10 pm EST. Join us for the celebration on our Instagram Live @eridiaspora and donate to the fundraiser at any time here!

Your contributions will make a difference in an Eritrean student’s life especially in an age where the cost of receiving an education is high. We hope that you are able to support our vision for access to higher education in our community and contribute to our scholarship fund.