Cida Foundation UK

The Graça Machel Scholars' Award was established by the Canon Collins Trust in honour of Graça Machel's 60th birthday. Machel has long campaigned vigorously for human rights and the empowerment of women, particularly through these key areas:

Education
Science and technology
Economics/Finance/Commerce
Health
Development

Graça Machel was part of the liberation movement in Mozambique and is perhaps best known today for her study of the impact of war on children. As the former Education Minister of Mozambique, she was a major force in increasing literacy and schooling in Mozambique and has spoken of the needs and rights of children, families and community, from platforms all over the world. Machel believes it is of particular importance to ensure that women and girls receive an education. CIDA City Campus is honoured that, through the generosity of Canon Collins Trust and Lord Joel Joffe, a number of young women will become Graça Machel Scholars. In the 2006 academic year, the first 5 students have been chosen. A further 7 will be chosen in February 2007, and another 8 in February 2008. All students will be supported throughout their academic career at CIDA.

The scholarship has been established to benefit women at CIDA who come from rural areas who want to have a voice in their community.

The Canon Collins Trust
Canon Collins Trust for Southern Africa was founded in 1981 as the education arm of the ‘Defence and Aid Fund’. The Fund, set up in the 1960s by anti-apartheid activist Canon Collins and banned under apartheid, paid for legal costs and provided welfare support for individuals and families of those accused of political offences including treason by the South African regime. As the educational arm, Canon Collins Trust assisted South African and Namibian political refugees were assisted to gain education in the UK, denied them under the apartheid system.

In 1990, following the release of Nelson Mandela and other political prisoners and the unbanning of anti-apartheid organisations, Canon Collins Trust developed a scholarship programme in South Africa, mainly at Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDIs). Individual black students were supported mostly on science and education courses at a range of universities and technikons. At the same time the study programme in the United Kingdom was continued.

In 1999 the Trust expanded its remit and begun supporting small educationally focused projects, and students from Angola, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi as well as South Africa and Namibia.