MCW Announces New Fund to Support Youth Advancing their Education in Africa
NEW YORK, NY, November 11, 2011 – MCW (Miracle Corners of the World) announced today the creation of the George Sideris Memorial Scholarship Fund to support MCW community center leaders seeking to advance their education. The scholarship fund was established in memory of MCW Founding Mentor, Dr. George Sideris, a biologist and lecturer at New York University and Long Island University.
“MCW is very excited about launching the George Sideris Scholarship Fund because it adds a new level to the ways MCW works to empower the youth who drive MCW’s projects in Africa,” said MCW’s Director of Operations, Khalid Elachi.
The fund will provide scholarships and educational stipends to individuals who have been actively involved with MCW’s work in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zambia for at least two years, ranging from country and center coordinators to teachers and other center program leaders, who have been involved with MCW for at least two years. This financial assistance provides opportunities to pursue certificate programs or full degrees that will advance their professional development and skills building.
Anna Condoulis, a member of the MCW Board of Directors explained that the fund represents “Dr. Sideris’ commitment to MCW and the communities it serves, his passion for teaching and educational travel, and his conviction that the gift of education should be available to all, the world over.”
Dr. Sideris was a longtime supporter of MCW. He traveled to Tanzania annually for eight years, bringing his students to the community center in Arusha, Tanzania, where he captured the collaborative process between his students and the youth involved at the center through his skills as a photographer and documentarian.
“I met George in 2005 and after that, he never missed a summertime visit to the Arusha center to work with the Perfect Youth Group,” said Abdu Mohamed, MCW’s country coordinator in Tanzania “He became very close to me and all of the youth at the center, and his passing was a shock for us all. But, through this scholarship fund, he will continue to live on as a member of the MCW family and continue to touch the lives of so many.”
To learn more, visit www.miraclecorners.org/GeorgeSiderisMemorialScholarshipFund.htm. To donate to the fund, visit http://www.miraclecorners.org/donate.htm or contact MCW at info@miraclecorners.org
About MCW
MCW (Miracle Corners of the World) is a non-profit organization founded in 1999 with the vision: “Local Change through Global Exchange.” Our mission is to empower youth to become positive agents of change in their communities. Based in New York, with affiliates in Africa, MCW offers the following programs: Leadership Training, Community Centers and Oral Healthcare, as well as Partner Initiatives (MCW Jacqueline’s Human Rights Corner). For more information, please visit www.miraclecorners.org.
