Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) Leadership Programme 2024

 

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME PROVIDER – ASHINAGA

Ashinaga was formed by Yoshiomi Tamai, after losing his mother in a traffic accident. The companies goal is to provides financial support and emotional care to youth from across the world, who have lost 1 or both parents. Since the organisation was formed, it has supported over 110 000 orphaned students, to help them further their education.

The Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) was formed in 2014, with the goal of providing financial support to orphaned students, to pursue undergraduate university studies abroad.
 

ABOUT THE AAI LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME – FIELDS COVERED

Ashinaga is inviting students to apply for the Ashinaga Africa Initiative Leadership Programme, for the 2024 academic year (Cohort 11).

The Ashinaga Africa Initiative is a scholarship for students from Sub-Saharan African countries, who have lost 1 or both parents. Funding will be awarded for studying abroad, towards an undergraduate qualification in any field.

Students must be committed to returning to sub-Saharan Africa to initiate change, innovation, and development. The country of study will be decided by Ashinaga and the student, during the Ashinaga Study Camp – it will depend on academic grades, availability of the course of study, language requirements and visa requirements.
 

** RELATED BURSARIES **

 

ABOUT THE AAI LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME – EXPENSES COVERED & STAGES

The programme will provide cover for the following expenses: tuition, accommodation, insurance, flights, and a monthly stipend for necessary academic costs and food.

The programme is made up of 3 stages:
1. Study Camp and Preparation Camp: selected students will participate in a Study Camp in Uganda or Senegal from July to December 2024. The Study Camp aims to assist candidates with their academic preparation, university applications (to Japan, the United Kingdom, Europe, or the USA), as well as career planning and leadership development.

The Preparation Camp will then take place between April and June 2025, to prepare students for the social, cultural, and academic differences they will encounter when studying abroad. Students will then proceed to university in August or September of 2025.

2. During University: the programme helps students access full financial support to study abroad, towards the first possible qualification that can be earned. Students will be required to partake in an internship in their home country or Sub-Saharan Africa and join Ashinaga’s leadership development programmes.

3. After Graduation: scholars will be required to return to their home country or Sub-Saharan Africa, to contribute to the country/region and live there for a minimum duration of 1 year.

www.zabursaries.co.za is committed to keeping you up to date with the latest bursary opportunities, and this article covers all details about the Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) Leadership Programme.
 

** RELATED BURSARIES **

 

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AAI LEADERSHIP

Applicants must satisfy the following minimum entry criteria before applying (please note that failure to satisfy all the requirements will lead to your application not being considered):

  • You must NOT be older than 23 years old
  • You must have lost 1 or both of your parents
  • You must a citizen of any of these 49 sub-Saharan countries: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, CAR, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, DRC, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Kingdom of Eswatini, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Seychelles, Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
  • You must completed have 3 years of high school
  • You must have maintained an excellent academic record in high school, and have remained at the top 10% of your class
  • You must wish to study abroad, towards an undergraduate university qualification
  • You must lack the financial means to attend university abroad without external funding
  • You must be in good health (to be able to study abroad)
  • You must not have any dependents
  • You must be committed to returning to sub-Saharan Africa after graduation, and using your professional path to contribute to its socio-economic progress
  • You must be willing and able to spend a gap year to complete the full-time Ashinaga Preparation Year curriculum
  • You must be fluent in English, French or Portuguese

 

HOW TO APPLY FOR THE AAI LEADERSHIP

Candidates must follow these steps to apply for the Ashinaga Africa Initiative (AAI) Leadership Programme:

Step 1: Register on the AAI Leadership Registration page.

You will be required to submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation when registering your profile (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):

  • Passport/ ID Card/ Birth certificate
  • Most recent High School Term Report/ Transcript
  • Final High School Examination Results Certificate (if applicable)

Enter “www.zabursaries.co.za” in the field asking how you heard about the AAI Leadership Programme.
 

Step 2: students who are deemed eligible by Ashinaga will receive an email with the application form. Students will receive the application email within 1 month after registering – if you do not receive the email, then you have not been invited to apply (be sure to check your spam or junk box in your email account).

Candidates who pass step 1 and are invited to apply, will be required to submit clear copies of the following supporting documentation (the submission of these documents is compulsory – if any items are missing, your application may be disqualified):

  • ID document or Passport or Birth certificate (copy only)
  • Birth certificate (copy only)
  • Photograph (passport style)
  • All term reports or secondary school transcripts from the past 2 years
  • Final secondary school certificate (with results for each subject) (if you will only be receiving your examination results in February 2023, please send your examination certificate as soon as possible after you have received it)
  • Recommendation letter from a school teacher or principal indicating your performance and character at secondary school (including their contact number, email address and must be stamped or signed)
  • Academic transcripts or official university results (if applicable)
  • Certificates of extracurricular activities, training courses, jobs or other commitments (if applicable)
  • Death certificate of deceased parent/ parents or another official documentation proving parents death or orphan status

 

APPLICATION NOTES ABOUT THE AAI LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME

  • Applicants should download and read the AAI Applicant Guidebook (.pdf) before applying, as it contain a lot of important information.
  • Ensure that you have all your documents together before applying. If your application is late or if any documents are missing, it could result in your application being disqualified. If you are having difficulty obtaining a certain document, please contact the AAI Selection Team as soon as possible to explain your situation.
  • Ensure that the scanned copies of your documents are clear and legible.
  • Make sure that your personal information on your application (name, date of birth, etc), is an exact match to your official documents.
  • Shortlisted applicants will be notified in March 2024.
  • Ashinaga Assessments (interview and exam) will take place late March to early April 2024.
  • Final selection results will be announced in late May 2024.
  • Selected applicants will prepare for Study Camp in Uganda or Senegal in June 2024.
  • Study Camp will start in July 2024.

 

CLOSING DATE FOR THE AAI LEADERSHIP

19 January 2024 (for registration – step 1 of the application)
23 January 2024 at 23:59 GMT (for completion of your application – step 2 of the application)
(Applications submitted after this date will not be accepted – please apply before the closing date to ensure your application is considered.)
 

CONTACT THE PROGRAMME PROVIDER

For any queries related to this scholarship programme, please contact the AAI directly:
Email: admissions.en@ashinaga.org
Read the AAI FAQ’s before submitting any queries.
 

Please do NOT contact the AAI if this bursary has already closed. View our other bursaries open for application here: https://www.zabursaries.co.za/bursary-news/

This bursary listing was last updated in November 2023.

SA Bursaries wishes you the best of luck with your application! Please remember to SHARE this page with anyone you know who may be in need of bursary funding.