Yasmine El Dorghamy: Despite the onset of a new strain of COVID-19, the Qalaa Holdings Scholarship Foundation has continued to fulfill its role of supporting promising Egyptian youths in continuing their academic journeys at the most reputable universities and institutions, maintaining a 16-year track record.

Saturday, January 15, 2022

Cairo, XX XX 2022 - Qalaa Holdings (CCAP. CA on the Egyptian Exchange), an African leader in energy and infrastructure, announced today that the Qalaa Holdings Scholarship Foundation (QHSF) is now accepting scholarship applications for Master’s degrees for the 2022/2023 academic year, for the consecutive sixteenth year. This comes as part of Qalaa Holdings’ strategy of focusing on improving the education system and developing human capabilities, as well as Egypt’s strategy of placing emphasis on developing and enhancing the capabilities of Egyptian youths in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Quality Education (SDG 4), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), and Reduced Inequalities (SDG 10). In addition to offering scholarships through QHSF, ERC has been offering Master’s scholarships for individuals living in the project’s surrounding areas of Mostorod, El Khosous, and El Matariyyah for over four years now. 

The scholarship application window for the academic year 2022/2023 from reputable global universities is open from 15 January 2022 to 15 April 2022. The scholarships are awarded with the condition that recipients return to work in Egypt for a period of two years from the end of the scholarship.

Yasmine El Dorghamy, Executive Director of QHSF said: “The Foundation has successfully offered Egypt’s largest private sector scholarship program for the past 16 years without any disruptions, despite the challenges faced due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation continues to support promising Egyptian youths along their academic journey, helping them receive prestigious certificates from top universities and institutions worldwide and making use of their new-found knowledge and experience to support the Egyptian economy.”

“The application requirements for the Foundation’s scholarships state that the applicant must be an Egyptian, living in Egypt, and not exceeding 35 years of age as of the application deadline. Applicants must already be accepted at a programme in the desired university and provide proof of acceptance alongside the application. Ideal candidates should be serious and open-minded, with an exceptional academic record, and be of actual need for financial aid in order to pursue a degree at the desired university,” El Dorghamy continued.

Ghada Hammouda, Group Chief Marketing and Sustainability Officer at Qalaa added: “We focus on facilitating a positive transformation in the communities where we operate, contributing towards the development of human capabilities, improving the quality of education, empowering women and youths, and integrating disabled individuals within society in order to achieve diversity and inclusion, in line with Egypt’s Vision 2030. Accordingly, Qalaa has been one of the leading companies taking on the responsibility of contributing to the development and enhancement of the Egyptian education system. Education is considered a main developmental pillar since it is the primary driver for societal development. Qalaa extends its support by offering an array of social initiatives boosting educational and technical capabilities in Egypt.”

“We are proud of the role that QHSF has played in supporting the ambitions and aspirations of Egyptian youths throughout the previous years through the initiatives adopted by Qalaa to develop the education system across the nation. QHSF was founded in 2007, supported by dedicated permanent funding from Qalaa Holdings as part of the Company’s keenness on sustainably financing its initiatives, and offering consistent support towards contributing to the development and improvement of the education system, as well as the enhancement of individual capabilities in Egypt and the surrounding region. Qalaa is committed to continuing its programs and scholarships so long as it remains feasible throughout the pandemic until the status quo is restored and the country overcomes the challenging environment it currently faces,” Hammouda concluded.

El Dorghamy praised the successes of scholarship recipients in becoming pioneers in scientific, cultural, and corporate fields, owing to their ability to reshape entrepreneurship in Egypt. Some of the most prominent examples include Amina Abu Douma, who earned a Master’s degree in Managing Cultural Institutions from University of London’s Goldsmiths College, and Hisham Shehata, who earned a Master’s degree in Corrosion Engineering from the University of Leeds.

Meanwhile, Hammouda expressed her pride in Qalaa’s eagerness to promote inclusivity, diversity, and equality across its social development programs, which is reflected through the success of QHSF in serving a diverse array of Egyptians. Since inception, the Foundation has awarded scholarships to 198 students across 15 different governorates. The recipients went on to study over 34 different majors at 69 reputable universities throughout Europe and the United States, all while achieving a balanced ratio of male-to-female recipients. 

It is worth noting that Qalaa Holdings, along with its subsidiaries, was one of the first groups to focus on developing and enhancing the education system across all learning stages from kindergarten – through offering scholarships to teachers via Mostakbaly for Teachers program – to university and technical, as well as Master’s level through Mostakbaly for Students and QHSF. In addition to the scholarships awarded by QHSF, ERC also offers its Mostakbaly for Teachers and Students program for individuals living in the project’s surrounding areas of Mostorod, El Khosous, and El Matariyyah, with the purpose of developing all aspects of the education system in order to raise the level of education in Egypt. The number of beneficiaries of Mostakbaly for Students, which was launched in 2016, has now reached 170 students, 115 of whom continued their university education in Egypt, while three students have received scholarships to study abroad. Meanwhile, 52 students have received scholarships for technical training at the Don Bosco Technical School. As for Mostakbaly for Teachers, the number of beneficiaries has reached 130 teachers since the launch of the program in 2017.

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Previous Qalaa Holdings press releases on this subject and others may be viewed online from your computer, tablet or mobile device at qalaaholdings.com/newsroom

Qalaa Holdings (CCAP.CA on the Egyptian Stock Exchange) is an African leader in energy and infrastructure. Qalaa Holdings builds responsible and sustainable businesses that add value to the economies and societies in which it does business. Formerly known as Citadel Capital, Qalaa Holdings controls subsidiaries in industries including Energy, Cement, Agrifoods, Transportation & Logistics, Mining and Printing & Packaging. To learn more, please visit qalaaholdings.com.

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