CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh — March 2, 2022 — Asian University for Women (AUW) is pleased to announce two new partnerships — one with Syngenta Asia Pacific Pte Ltd and another with Bayer AG aimed at scaling up our reach in rural agricultural communities in recruitment and sponsorship of talented and bright daughters of landless farmers who also demonstrate the leadership qualities that AUW values.

AUW recognizes that the vast majority of the populations in Asia remain rural and there are few opportunities to identify and nurture talents from remote rural areas.  This project will allow AUW to collaborate with two leading private sector agricultural companies and leverage their extensive product distribution networks in rural Asia to transmit information about AUW and opportunities available at AUW.  We are grateful to each of Syngenta and Bayer for providing such generous scholarship support and opportunities for internship aimed at professional development of our students.

Please see below press releases.

Syngenta’s Scholarship Program with the Asian University for Women will empower women from rural farming communities in India and Bangladesh to achieve higher education

• With this first of its kind scholarship in Bangladesh and India, Syngenta is pledging US$375,000 to cover the tuition fees of five female students for a five-year education program
• These five female students come from smallholder communities
• The scholarship will cover tuition, room and board, health coverage, textbooks, and supplies along with possibility of internship opportunities with Syngenta

CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh, January 27, 2021 – The Asian University for Women (“AUW”) and Syngenta Asia Pacific announced today that Syngenta will sponsor US$375,000 in scholarship fees for five female AUW students from Jan 2022 to Dec 2026.

These five students are selected from the smallholder communities of India and Bangladesh. This initiative is in recognition of the significant economic contributions of women in agriculture and is aligned to the commitments of AUW and Syngenta in expanding opportunities to help rural women succeed.

Syngenta’s scholarship will cover tuition, room and board, health coverage, textbooks, and supplies for five students. Recipients of this scholarship are selected from interested students from farming communities based on their academic excellence and demonstrated leadership.
Of the five-year scholarship period, students will devote an entire year to learning English under AUW’s rubric of ‘Pathways for Promise’. They will spend the second year at the Access Academy for further academic preparation for all core academic subjects, and the last three years will be devoted to completing a US accreditation-eligible undergraduate program.

Pamela Gonzalez, Head of Asia Group and APAC Head of Diversity & Inclusion said, “Rural women are key to achieving the transformational economic, environmental and social changes required for sustainable development. But limited access to credit, healthcare and education are among the many challenges they face, which are further aggravated by the global food and economic crises and climate change. Empowering them is key not only to the well-being of individuals, families, and rural communities, but also to overall economic productivity, given women’s large presence in the agricultural workforce worldwide. Syngenta and the Asian University for Women are empowering these rural women to become leaders of tomorrow with right access to quality education. I personally look forward to the possibilities of this scholarship with internship opportunities and more for these young students at Syngenta.”

Kamal Ahmad, Founder of the Asian University for Women said,” Even in our small countries, we are separated by one divide after another: the poor vs the rich, those with access to power and privilege and those without.  In the midst of all of these divides, it is the rural-urban divide that is probably most decisive in predicting the future of those born across them.  By dedicating scholarships to the daughters of landless agricultural workers, AUW joins Syngenta in lifting the curtain against that great divide and creating a pathway to discover and nurture the teeming talents that the tyranny of our divided societies otherwise suppress.”

About Syngenta
Syngenta is one of the world’s leading agriculture companies, comprised of Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds. Our ambition is to help safely feed the world while taking care of the planet. We aim to improve the sustainability, quality and safety of agriculture with world-class science and innovative crop solutions. Our technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources. Syngenta Crop Protection and Syngenta Seeds are part of Syngenta Group with 49,000 people in more than 100 countries working to transform how crops are grown. Through partnerships, collaboration and The Good Growth Plan, we are committed to accelerating innovation for farmers and nature, striving for carbon neutral agriculture, helping people stay safe and healthy, and partnering for impact.
To learn more visit www.syngenta.com and www.goodgrowthplan.com
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Syngenta and
www.twitter.com/SyngentaUS

Find out more about Syngenta Singapore at www.syngenta.com.sg

About Asian University for Women (AUW):
Founded in 2008 and located in Chittagong, Bangladesh, AUW is the first of its kind: a regional institution dedicated to women’s education and leadership development through liberal arts and sciences education.  It is international in outlook but rooted in the contexts and aspirations of the people of Asia. Chartered by the Parliament of Bangladesh, AUW exists solely to support a rising network of women leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across the region. It seeks out women who show significant academic achievement and potential, demonstrate courage and a sense of outrage at injustice, and are empathic to the woes of other people.

1160 students from 17 countries currently attend AUW: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and Yemen. More than 85% of AUW students are on full or near-full scholarships funded by supporters from around the world. The University has graduated over a thousand students to date. A majority of AUW graduates secure employment in the private and public sectors in their home countries while about 25% go on to pursue graduate studies at other institutions of higher learning including Oxford, Cambridge, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Columbia, Duke, Brandeis and Tufts, among others. To learn more about Asian University for Women, please visit https://asian-university.org.

Bayer AG and Asian University for Women form a partnership to support women’s education in Asia

CHATTOGRAM, Bangladesh, February 21, 2022 – Asian University for Women (AUW) and Bayer AG have announced that Bayer will fund the university education of sixteen AUW students through the Bayer Scholarship Program. Bayer is pledging $675,000 (USD) to the program. The scholarships will cover two years of precollegiate study and the first year of AUW’s three-year undergraduate degree program and will run from August 2022 – to July 2025. Bayer will also provide internships to sixteen AUW students who hold an interest in agribusiness.

Nine of the sixteen Bayer Scholars will be selected by AUW from the rural farming communities of Bangladesh, and seven will be selected from other smallholder farming communities in South and Southeast Asia. Bayer will amplify the scholarship program and actively promote this education opportunity through its field force network in South Asia, which serves as a trusted partner to many rural farming families. All students will be the first in their families to attend university, supporting AUW’s belief that all women deserve a right to pursue higher education regardless of socioeconomic status, nationality, or religion. Recipients of this scholarship are selected from rural farming communities based on their academic excellence, demonstrated leadership, outrage at injustice, and drive to create change in their communities and beyond.

Monika Lessl, Senior Vice President Corporate R&D and Social Innovation and Executive Director of Bayer Foundation: “At Bayer, we are constantly working towards creating a world where everyone has access to essential services – be it health, nutrition or education. A key step in achieving this goal, is to bridge the gender gap in education. Hence, we are delighted to support women students pursuing higher education at the Asian University for women through our scholarship program and hope that these women students will not only transform their lives through education but also serve as a beacon of hope to other women students in their communities.”

Kamal Ahmad, Founder of the Asian University for Women said, ” In all our communities, we are separated by one divide after another: the poor vs the rich, those with access to power and privilege and those without.  In the midst of all of these divides, it is the rural-urban divide that is probably most decisive in predicting the future of those born across them.  By dedicating scholarships to the daughters of landless agricultural workers, AUW joins Bayer in lifting the curtain against that great divide and creating a pathway to discover and nurture the teeming talents that the tyranny of our divided societies otherwise suppress.  We look forward to welcoming the Bayer Scholars to our AUW community and so grateful to Bayer Foundation for extending such pioneering support.”

Young girls growing up in rural regions in Asia have even fewer opportunities for educational and economic advancement than their counterparts in towns and cities. With limited social networks and other services, as well as an absence of economic empowerment opportunities, the cycle of entrapment in traditional mores becomes inescapable. It is this cycle that Bayer and AUW would like to break through their groundbreaking partnership. The Bayer Scholarship Program will foster women’s empowerment among marginalized, rural agricultural communities in Bangladesh and across Asia.

About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 4.9 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

About AUW
Founded in 2008 and located in Chittagong, Bangladesh, AUW is the first of its kind: a regional institution dedicated to women’s education and leadership development through liberal arts and sciences education.  It is international in outlook but rooted in the contexts and aspirations of the people of Asia. Chartered by the Parliament of Bangladesh, AUW exists solely to support a rising network of women leaders, entrepreneurs, and changemakers from across the region. It seeks out women who show significant academic achievement and potential, demonstrate courage and a sense of outrage at injustice, and are empathic to the woes of other people.
1160 students from 17 countries currently attend AUW: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Syria, Timor Leste, Vietnam, and Yemen. More than 85% of AUW students are on full or near-full scholarships funded by supporters from around the world. The University has graduated over a thousand students to date. A majority of AUW graduates secure employment in the private and public sectors in their home countries while about 25% go on to pursue graduate studies at other institutions of higher learning including Oxford, Cambridge, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, Columbia, Duke, Brandeis, and Tufts, among others. To learn more about Asian University for Women, please visit https://asian-university.org.