Germany will award scholarships to 300 students of Garissa University College who survived the deadly attack by Al-Shabaab militants.
The April 2 terrorist attack killed 148 people – 142 of them students.
The scholarships will be officially awarded on Tuesday, June 16, by the Regional Office for Africa of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and financed by the German Ministry for Development.
The programme aims at helping students to find a way back to normal life. In selected cases, the DAAD will also cover expenses for medical and counselling services.
SOLIDARITY
“With this offer, we want to show our solidarity with the Kenyan students,” DAAD President Professor Margret Wintermantel said.
“Many of the Garissa students hail from humble backgrounds. In many cases, they are the first ones in their families or villages to ever attend university. We want to strongly encourage them to hold on to their dreams for their future, despite the horrors they went through,” she said.
German Ambassador to Kenya, Andreas Peschke, said: “ This scholarship programme is a commitment and a clear sign that terrorism cannot stop students and institutions of higher learning to carry out their important work towards personal and national development.”
The scholarship programme will run for one year. It will cover tuition fees, a monthly allowance and accommodation costs.
The beneficiaries of the scholarship programme were jointly selected by the DAAD, Moi University and the Commission for University Education (CUE) based on a needs assessment.
During the scholarship period, beneficiaries will be assisted by DAAD Alumni from the Kenya DAAD Scholars’ Association (KDSA).
Source-nairobinews.co.ke
Germany Awards Scholarships To 300 Garissa Attack Survivors
