Hikma Pharmaceuticals
Nurturing future changemakers through higher education
Syrian refugee Esraa Ahmad enrolled in Amman Arab University in the computer engineering program and graduated in mid-2019 after three years of studies facilitate by UNHCR’s DAFI Scholarship program. © UNHCR/Lily Carlisle
Since April 2021, Hikma Pharmaceuticals has been partnering with UK for UNHCR and is now funding 80 higher education scholarships for refugees in Jordan, Egypt and Algeria.
“We believe in the power of education and so we’ve expanded our partnership with UNHCR’s scholarship programme to support 80 rather than 40 tertiary scholars. We’re very proud of this partnership that offers young refugees a brighter future, who in turn will enrich their communities.”
Hana Darwazeh Ramadan, Global VP of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
By supporting UNHCR’s higher education scholarship programme, DAFI, Hikma Pharmaceuticals will enable UNHCR to provide extra scholarships and support progress towards the 15by30 target – increasing refugee enrolment in higher education from 3% to 15% by 2030. Hikma’s support has gone beyond sponsoring scholarships, offering refugees the opportunity to visit their manufacturing facilities and intern at their offices for hands-on training. These opportunities, alongside the DAFI scholarship programme help promote refugee self-reliance and empower them for a brighter future.
“DAFI made me believe in myself and my abilities as a Middle Eastern woman, as the first woman in my family line to get the opportunity of higher education. It’s been such an amazing journey. I am almost in disbelief that four years have passed, and without exaggeration, DAFI was the compass that guided me to my fate. It’s hard to capture what DAFI has granted me, not only academically, but also in many other aspects of life in general. It helped me become a better person, a person who can give and participate in her community.” Fatma, DAFI Alumni
UNHCR’s higher education scholarship programme, called DAFI (Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative), has been running since 1992 and in that time supported 18,000 talented young refugees. However, in recent years it has become clear that the demand from ambitious refugees outstrips available scholarships.
By supporting DAFI, Hikma Pharmaceuticals will enable UNHCR to provide extra scholarships and support progress towards the 15by30 target – increasing enrolment in higher education from 3% to 15% by 2030.
We will also be working together to create work placement opportunities for DAFI graduates in the three focus countries, a crucial steppingstone towards self-reliance and empowerment.