«Talents» - scholarships for talented youth

CO-OPERAID’s «Talents» project enables talented young people to enter higher education by providing them with scholarships. Through developing their potential and talents and gaining knowledge and skills, promising young people can escape poverty and create a better future for themselves and their families. The project is being implemented in three Asian developing countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia and Laos.

The young people supported by the project come from poor families. The cost of higher level education (high school, college, university of applied sciences or traditional university) exceeds the means of these families. Taking into consideration criteria which are adapted for each country (e.g. family income, school performance and a pronounced desire for continuing education), our local partner organisations propose candidates for support through «Talents» scholarships.

The families are expected to contribute to the costs of education and are required to make an agreement to this effect. Their contribution can involve assuming part of the living costs during studies, partial repayment once employment is found, social service or a combination of these options. Repayments made to the fund enable further grants to be made. In contrast to individual sponsorship, the fund allows collective financing, covering the education of all the students that are part of the project.