Help Students Study Abroad in South Africa

Your support will help students of color and first generation students at UMD enrich their educational journey with an experience of a life time studying social injustice in South Africa this summer!

Six Credit, Four-Week Summer Study Abroad Program: Understanding Social Inequalities in Post-Apartheid South Africa

THE EXPERIENCE: 

Following on the legacy of luminaries such as W.E.B. DuBois, Malcolm X, Eslanda Robeson and Martin Luther King Jr., this program builds on the African American Studies Department’s commitment to considering race and social inequality in international and, in particular, Black diasporic contexts. This study abroad opportunity exposes students to the many dimensions of social inequality and the consequences for well-being in post-apartheid South Africa. While racial inequality is, by far, the most visible and most documented form of social stratification in South Africa, other factors - gender, class, sexuality, ethnicity, language, religion, geographical location – all contribute to the well-being for all South Africans.

Your generous donation will help students of color and low income students experience South Africa first hand and enhancing their development into critical thinkers and social justice activists.

REDUCING STUDENT FINANCIAL BURDEN:

We are raising funds to reduce the financial burden for undergraduate students wishing to participate in this active learning experience. Reaching our $6,000 goal will allow us to provide six $1,000 need-based scholarships to participating Summer 2020 students. Even a gift of $25 would cover the entry fees for three students into the must-see Apartheid Museum!  The African American Studies Department is committed to increasing participation of underrepresented groups in study abroad, with an emphasis on students of color and/or first-generation college students. 

Students are often forced to not pursue these incredibly important and exciting study abroad opportunities due to the costs associated. Your contribution, at any level, would allow us to lessen the burden and allow more deserving students to participate in this trip of a lifetime. 

Thank you in advance for your support!

Sangeetha Madhavan and Vusi Dlamini, Co-Program Directors

To learn more about the program, please visit our website. 

Gurleen Kaur (Senior, 2016 Cohort): "...there was no way I could have been prepared for my experience this summer. I not only learned how similar a country thousands of miles away is to the US, the same culture, the same social problems, but I learned so much about myself. Things only an experience as unique as this one could have given me and I am truly grateful for the opportunity to share this experience with eight other amazing women".

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