Ahmed Hussein Manjus, the winner of the Fana Lamrot talent tournament, previously appeared on Ethiopian Idol for 11 years. Scholarship programs like these accomplish a lot more than that. The Harkness Fellowships have established a worldwide network of health policy researchers and practitioners. The Kennedy Scholarships encourage future leaders to develop stronger transatlantic ties.
The Schwarzman Scholars are forming a network that will help China and the rest of the world strengthen their ties. Young Africans are being prepared to become visionary leaders who will reshape the continent and achieve equality, freedom, and human rights through the Mandela Rhodes Scholarship. Extending hope and opportunity to young people who are at risk of being left behind is a strong way to advance these ideals, foster peace and stability, and find a long-term solution to the refugee problem.
We know that among the most disadvantaged of all the displaced, we can locate young prospective leaders and provide them with advanced education. An innovative, competitive program would provide refugee and displaced students with fellowships for two years of graduate study in any field, anywhere in the world, within the country where they have sought refuge.
If this effort is successful in attracting the funds it requires, it will join the ranks of other well-known, long-lasting, and high-impact scholarship programs, and, like them, it will help thousands of young people get from where they are to where they can be.
