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The 10 men and eight women from Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Yemen are beginning their undergraduate studies on scholarships earned with the support of the DKSSF from Dartmouth, Smith, and Swarthmore Colleges; Columbia, Drexel, Harvard, Jacksonville, Princeton, and Wesleyan Universities; the Universities of Pennsylvania and Rochester; Hult International Business School; Sewanee: The University of the South; and NYU Abu Dhabi and Yale-National University of Singapore (NUS).

Like most full-service third-party study-abroad providers operating in Egypt and Tunisia during the turmoil of 2011, Amideast had little choice but to close its programs in these countries although they were in demand and great sources of pride for this organization. Unlike most providers, though, Amideast, as a multi-faceted organization, continued to thrive in the years since then. One result is that our new Amideast Education Abroad initiatives have the benefit of reopening with excellent strength and support on the ground.

Amideast is pleased to join with U.S. aerospace company Boeing to launch a new program entitled, “Coding for Kids,” to teach young learners in Kuwait to code. The program will engage 24 Kuwaiti students between the ages of 8 and 15, teaching them to design and code interactive games, stories, and animations using the multilingual Scratch, a web-based visual programming language.  

The 10 women and and seven men from Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, and Lebanon earned generous scholarships from MIT; the Universities of Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rochester; Drexel, Georgetown, Seattle Pacific, Stanford, and Washington and Lee Universities; Bridgewater, Earlham, Gustavus Adolphus, Pomona, Smith, and Williams Colleges; and NYU Abu Dhabi. Two other prospective freshmen are still awaiting their visa decision.

Chris Shinn, Morocco

After serving as Amideast’s country director for Tunisia since August 2013, Chris Shinn became our country director for Morocco in May, bringing to this position his extensive experience in international education, including nearly a decade directing Amideast programs in the West Bank and Gaza prior to his service in Tunisia. 

Dina, Liza, Tala, and Khaled took advantage of the opportunities afforded by the Hope Fund to excel and put themselves on a path that will lead to further accomplishments. In the three previous academic years, 46 Hope Fund scholars graduated.  The Palestinian community and their supporters can take enormous pride in these future leaders as do we.

Algeria’s ability to expand the teaching of English and improve classroom practices are critical to its ability to compete in the global economy. With demand for proficient English language speakers already rising in tandem with the country’s economic growth, the need for effective English language training programs and professional development opportunities is increasingly evident.

The TOEFL iBT^® test is the best, most accurate way for English language teachers to show their English proficiency. The test is also more convenient and less expensive than some options, and with free, online, comprehensive test prep, preparing to take the test is easy. Click here to purchase a test voucher today.

Last fall, 18 Egyptian undergraduates became the first students to take advantage of a new study abroad option for students in the Public University Scholarships program, which Amideast administers under the USAID-funded U.S.-Egypt Higher Education Initiative (HEI).