Since its founding in 2008, AUW has offered close to 150 fully funded scholarships for Indian nationals covering all costs of room, board, tuition, travel, books and supplies and health care. One graduate, Savitri Kumari, has ranked first this year in Jharjhand Civil Service Exams.

His Excellency High Commissioner Vikram Doraiswami the Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh has visited AUW's campus in Chittagong several times. In encouraging more Indian nationals to take advantage of the excellent educational opportunities offered at AUW, His Excellency High Commissioner Doraiswami commented:

The Asian University for Women is a unique and pioneering project that is as outstanding as it is inspiring. It is developed in the simple but effective concept of giving every deserving young woman a chance to break out of both the age-old shackles of patriarchy and social constraints as well as the restrictions of cost and access that are the limitations of our modern age. I have had the good fortune to see the transformative impact that this University has exercised upon so many brilliant and committed young women, in a brief period of around a decade, and I have no hesitation in saying that this is a project that deserves our fullest attention and support. For us in India, the project delivers on the very goals that our Government has itself adopted, of "beti bachao, beti padhao"--save a girl, educate a girl--that has been instrumental in sparking a remarkable evolution in our approach to empowerment of women.

I have no hesitation in inviting attention and consideration for this University, its faculty, and above all, its remarkable group of resilient and committed young women, who deserve the best that life can offer them.

AUW Vice Chancellor, Dr. Rubana Huq said:

AUW seeks to facilitate, expand and promote educational opportunities for women in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, and Assam. We hope that the outreach assistance from the Indian government will lead to recruitment of talented women who will later serve their communities with excellence and passion.

AUW's founder Kamal Ahmad said in announcing these scholarships:

AUW's vision is to create a society that is not separated by religion, caste or creed. We deplore political pogroms against the weakest of our societies and call upon all civilized elements in society to oppose such degradation of values so valiantly championed by Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Suhrawardi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and other leaders of integrity at the creation of our independence. By bringing young women of diverse backgrounds who have the courage to speak truth to power, AUW hopes to make its own small contribution in resisting the tyranny of prejudice and repression that is attempting to burn down our dreams of a different world. It is only logical that these efforts are rooted in Chittagong for it was the "Free State of Bengal" that resisted even at the time of Partition the forced divide of our nations on the basis of religion instead of recognizing our common humanity.

Hashtag: #AsianUniversityforWomen #AUW

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)