International Project Grants

AAUW International Fellowships are intended to provide fellows the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills that will directly benefit their home countries. To support the continuation of fellows' work after they return home, AAUW will award a limited number of International Project Grants ($5,000-$7,000) to those who held an AAUW International Fellowship between 2001 and 2010. The grants provide support for community-based projects that benefit women and girls in the fellow's home country. Applications may be submitted online between August 1 and December 15, 2011.

Important Update: We have extended the deadline. Applications are now due on January 15, 2012.

Application instructions (PDF)

Application form (PDF)

Alumnae of the AAUW International Fellowships Program have demonstrated academic achievement and commitment to women and girls without parallel. They are leaders in government, academia, community activism, the arts, and science.

Meet the 2011-12 International Project Grants Program recipients:

Rukeme Ake
Home Country: Nigeria
Girl Skill Acquisition and Personal Development Project (GSAP)

GSAP is a capacity building project for female out of school youth in Akwa-ibom state Nigeria. This project will use a mentoring approach to provide vocational and life skills training for 30 young women. In addition to a basic computer training course, the vocational training will consist of sewing, hairdressing, and baking, with the goal to increase the access of poor girls to skills that will enable them to become economically productive, improve their ability to protect themselves against abuse, and contribute to the advancement of society. Vocational training will take place at existing community vocational centers. Life skills training may consist of decision making, goal setting, time management, money management, etc.

Nasreen Mazumdar
Home Country: India
Natural Polymer Based Iodine Supplementation to Combat Iodine Deficiency Disorders

Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) is a major public health concern in India. This project will focus on expecting and lactating mothers who are prone to develop iodine deficiency with the goal to produce an iodine supplementation for preventing iodine deficiency in pregnant women. the effect of iodine supplementation on the intervention group will be assessed and compared with a control group. The group of women selected for iodine intervention will be from regions in India where endemic iodine deficiency has been detected by government agencies. Iodine status of the test group would be determined before and after the intervention by measuring the urinary iodine (UI) concentration which is an indicator of iodine status.

Patience Ogele
Home Country: Cote d’Ivoire
Graceland Fish Farms Project

With high unemployment rates in Cote d'Ivoire, women and girls will expand their fish-farming and fish preservation activities and have the opportunity to generate income for household needs. This project aims to empower 15 mothers and girls to self-reliance by strengthening their capacity to earn their own income by operating an efficient, commercially viable fish-farming business. Project components will include rearing and production techniques for tilapia and catfish, education workshops on improving fish-farming methods, farm-management, preservation, marketing and book-keeping skills.

Anjali Srinivasan
Home Country: India
Reclaiming Heritage - Traditional Artisan Glassmaking

Largely, women are hidden presence in the visible and vocal force in the evolution of Indian glass culture. This project is a small beginning to bring them out of the shadows. Using the growing boom of interest in glass objects amongst interior designers and local markets, the project undertakes responsibility of training women in specific areas of a small glass studio: blowing (for vessels), flame working (for beads), kiln forming (for tiles), mold making (for sculpture), cold working (for finishing jobs) and management (as technician and administrator).

Diedie Weng
Home Country: China
Yongji Organic Farmer Video Network Training Program

Yongji is traditionally one of the most important agricultural production bases for Northern China. Founded in 1998 and currently led by local female villagers, Yongji Organic Agriculture Co-op (YOAC) is currently expanding because of the market demands for organic products, thus there is a strong local need for the documentation and distribution of organic farming knowledge and skills. This project will train women farmer producers to use participatory video to engage local farmers in documenting and discussing local techniques and challenges in organic agriculture in Yongji, rural Northern-China. It will create the first rural based participatory video network in China that empowers women’s leadership in the organic agriculture movement.