Published: June 9, 2004

The Open Society Institute (OSI) announces a new scholarship program for eligible Romani and Sinti students studying law at the university level in Belarus, Moldova, Poland, Russia and the Ukraine. The funds for this law program come from the German Remembrance, Responsibility and Future Foundation. The German funds are supplemented by OSI.

Roma and Sinti who are eligible will have been accepted at the law faculty of a recognized university in their home country or country of residence as full time students in the fall of 2004. These scholarships are only for Roma and Sinti students and only those enrolled in traditional law programs leading to a law degree and to the practice of law.

Eligibility

Law scholarship winners must come from Belarus, Moldova, Poland, Russia or the Ukraine, and must demonstrate:
A. financial need including employment status and income of parents, number of children in the family, etc.;
B. acknowledgement of being Roma and interest in Roma issues or Roma activism;
C. proof of acceptance at the law faculty of a recognized university in their own country by presentation of an original university certificate;
D. an official transcript of the university grades for the academic year 2003-2004, if applicable.

Scholarship Awards

Scholarships normally will cover tuition; law textbooks, exam fees; and partial living expenses. Scholarships may be renewed subject to successful completion of the prior academic year.

Application Process

There will be only one round of applications for 2004-2005.

Each candidate must submit a complete application in English or his/her own national language. The complete application will consist of

1. a letter of interest stating:
- your full name and your intention to apply;
- your family background;
- your financial needs for the academic year (detailed budget)
- acknowledgement of being Roma and interest in Roma issues or Roma activism;
- a description of the work you have undertaken to improve the lives of Roma or work on Roma issues in your community;
- the name of the university and law faculty in which you plan to enroll in the academic year 2004-2005;
- a mailing address which is valid for the next 12 months;
- a telephone number and/or an e-mail address where you can be reached during the 2004 summer holiday.

2. an original certificate from the university in the country of your residence showing:
- that you have been accepted to the law faculty for the academic year 2004-2005;
- the cost of tuition and exam fees, if applicable;
- an official transcript of your university grades from the academic year 2003-2004, if you are in your second or higher year of law studies.

3. a detailed letter of recommendation from a secondary school teacher, a university professor, a local community leader, or Roma NGO leader who must provide details of your academic and leadership potential and commitment to the Roma. This letter may not be written by a relative or personal friend or by someone who has written a letter of recommendation for another RMUSP law applicant. It is your responsibility to ensure that the person you ask to write your supporting letter has not written one for another candidate.

4. If you have a bank account, please give your full banking information: bank name, bank address, bank account number, SWIFT number, and correspondence banks. If you do not have a bank account, please inform us in your application letter, and we will find a solution to get the award to you, if you are selected.

Deadlines

The deadlines below are the last day when your documents can be mailed to us. We use the postmark as our reference point. If they are postmarked after the deadline, they will not be considered. You are encouraged to get all of your documents to us well before the deadlines.

August 2, 2004 – letter of interest and letter of recommendation must be submitted;
September 15, 2004 – original university certificate must be submitted; and if you are in your second or higher year of law studies, a transcript of your university grades must also be submitted.
If you do not send all the required documents by the above deadlines, you will not be eligible to receive a scholarship for the academic year 2004-2005.

Selection Procedure

An international selection committee will make the final selection, and you will be notified about the results in October, 2004.

Annual awards are expected to be in the range of $600 - $700.

Please note that if you have received a full scholarship from another organization for the academic year 2004-2005, you will be ineligible for this one. You will be asked to sign a declaration on this matter.

All documents must be sent to:

Roma Memorial University Scholarship Program (RMUSP)
Mariana Alecsandri

Fundatia Soros-Moldova,
Str. Bulgara 32, Chisinau 2001
Tel. 270031, 274480

Please visit the Soros Foundation Web-site for more information