The UN requests FPCD's assistance with Educating Iraqi Women

THE UNITED NATIONS REQUESTS FPCD's ASSISTANCE WITH THE EDUCATION OF IRAQI WOMEN
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There is an urgent need to build the capacity of the Iraqi people in engineering and applied sciences to meet the enormous reconstruction and development needs of their country. The conflict has severely disrupted education. Many professionals have been killed, and others have fled, leaving the country with a serious undersupply of skilled human capital.

Women have a vital role to play in filling this need and in rebuilding the economy. Fortunately, Iraq has a small cadre of well educated women who can step into this breach, but more need to be prepared to play their role in the country’s recovery. Women have demonstrated their capacity to participate professionally, becoming heads of households and principal income-earners. Women have also become a political force, obtaining the right to hold at least one quarter of all Parliamentary seats, and forming a cross-party coalition to strengthen their voices for peace, stability and equal rights.

The Foundation for Post Conflict Development is committed to assisting the IWFF.




The Iraqi Women’s Fellowship Foundation (IWFF) plays a pivotal role in the development of much-needed engineering and applied sciences skills, by providing Iraqi women with access to top-rated US universities in the US and the Middle East. It further reinforces the Iraqi government’s restoration of women’s rights. The program in engineering and applied sciences is two-pronged, providing for:

• A one-year faculty visiting scholarship to top universities in the US, to upgrade their knowledge and teaching skills, or undertake research.
• A four-year student program in undergraduate study at American university campuses in the Middle East.

The response from US universities has been magnificent. In the first year of the program (2009-10) Berkeley, Stanford, UC San Diego and Smith College are hosting five faculty visiting scholars. In the second year (2010-11), Texas A&M and Carnegie Mellon in Qatar have agreed to enroll five qualified Iraqi women students, and universities in the US will host seven Iraqi women faculty.

First year (2009-10) funding to launch the program has been granted by the US Department of State. Private sector funding will be key to the continued funding and building of the program. Over the five year program period, fellowships will be provided to 40 faculty and 20 four-year undergraduate students, for a total of 120 fellowship years.

Second year program costs are $1.8 million (7 one-year faculty, 5 four-year students) which covers all four years of each student’s program. The total cost of the five year program is $8.8 million, of which about 87% goes directly to educational costs. Private sector partnerships are being sought to continue building the program.


For More Information Please Contact the FPCD Office or:
Mary Oakes Smith
President
Iraqi Women’s Fellowship Foundation
Washington, DC

Email: mosmith@iwffoundation.org
Tel: 202 342-6600
Fax: 202 338-8988





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