MMMF Scholarships Africa Program for Women from Developing Countries

MMMF Scholarship Grants (Africa Program)

Course(s) Offered: Any field
Course Level: Graduate (masters, PhD, Postdoc, research)
Provider: World Bank Group/World Bank Family Network
Country to Study in: Africa (currently South Africa)

Scholarship Description
The Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) grants (South Africa program) are offered to female students from developing countries who have taken up to study in South Africa at the participating institutions.

Aside this program for women studying in South African universities, MMMF also awards scholarships for students studying in the USA and Canada and also for women enrolled at select universities in Latin America (i.e. Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Peru).

Eligibility
A woman is eligible to apply for an MMMF grant if she meets all the following criteria:

1. Has a record of service (paid and/or volunteer) to women and children in the developing world.
2. Demonstrate a commitment to improve the lives of women and children in the developing world through field of study and/or topic of research.
3. Plan to return to her country (or other developing country) within two years of completing her degree and intends to work to improve the lives of women and/or children.
4. Demonstrates financial need by providing relevant financial information.
5. Be enrolled at one of the select universities in South Africa as listed below for the full academic year in which the application is submitted and intend to be enrolled for the subsequent year covered by the grant.
6. Be a national of an eligible developing or middle-income country (see link to Country Eligibility List below) and residing in Africa.
7. Demonstrate good academic performance at the university where she is registered.
8. Be at least 25 years of age by the relevant application deadline.
9. Not be an immediate or extended family member of any World Bank Group, IMF or Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) staff member or their spouse.
10. Not received a MMMF grant in any prior year.

There are no exceptions to the MMMF educational grant criteria listed above.

Eligible groups
Citizens of Developing countries (as defined by the World Bank in this Country Eligibility List)

Participating Institutions
The select South African universities are:

1. University of Pretoria, 
2. University of Cape Town, 
3. University of Stellenbosch and 
4. University of Witwatersrand

Scholarship Benefits
MMMF awards grants of approximately US$4,000 each.

MMMF Grant Contract:
Grant recipients are required to sign a contract agreeing to the following:

• If an MMMF grant recipient receives a grant from the World Bank Graduate Scholarship program in the same calendar year in which she receives an MMMF grant, her MMMF grant shall be rescinded
• The MMMF expects grant recipients to return to their home countries or another developing country about two years after completing use of their grants and then to perform at least two years of service in their country or another developing country

As a condition of the grant, the recipient will agree to make a payment, equal to the full amount of her grant, to the MMMF if:

• The recipient does not return to her country or another developing country within about two years after completing use of the MMMF grant, or,
• the recipient does not complete the two years of service after completing her studies in the country where the grant was awarded.

Method of Application
All applications must be made online via the official website. Therefore you must visit the official website (link to it is below) to start your application process and also for complete information.

A COMPLETE application package consists of the following (NO exceptions):

1. An Online Application (either as a First Time User or a Returning User)
2. 2 (Two) Recommendation Forms (from your current institution and/or previous institutions and/or individuals you have known)
3. Supporting Documents as listed on the official webpage

Please make sure to submit ALL documents as listed. ALL the above documents (A-C) must be submitted no later than the deadline date indicated below to be considered eligible.

The MMMF will only accept electronic submissions. Only complete applications will be accepted.

DEADLINES:
The applications for the 2015 MMMF Africa Grant opens on Tuesday April 15, 2014 and will close at 23:59 SAST on Friday, August 15, 2014.

PLEASE NOTE:
Your e-mail address is your unique User ID. Attempting to change your email address during the application process will force you to start the process from the beginning.

The Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) was founded in 1981 to honor the memory of Margaret Craig McNamara (1915-1981), the wife of Robert S. McNamara, President of the World Bank from 1968 to 1981.

Contact
The MMMF is managed by volunteers and not always available to answer phone queries about the MMMF grant program. For questions regarding the grant program please see the email contact information here.

Application Deadline: 15 August 2014
Open to International Applicants: Yes

More Scholarship Information and Application

Related: Scholarships in South Africa for International Students