"And the winner is..."

The aim of the prize is to provide start-up funding for sustainable ideas and social projects, as the winners each receive prize money of 1,000 euros to implement their project. At the same time, students and former students of the Brandt School can show with their initiatives what they have learned in the Master's programme.

An independent, external jury selected the following three projects from among the nominees:
One prize went to the "Cattle Raid Child Care and Reintegration Project", a project by Arupur Charles Peyo to care for and reintegrate children from families who have been victims of cattle raiding in Ethiopia. It aims to provide these children with comprehensive care, protection and support through family-based counselling, education and vocational education to better integrate them into society and overcome their trauma.

Another award went to "Digital Literacy for the Social Incidence" or "Dig-Incidence" for short, a project by Francisco Calep Pimienta González and Cristhy Alejandra Alpuche Cabrera to improve the digital literacy of civil society organisations in Mexico to strengthen their impact in society. Through mentoring and training courses, participants will be trained in digital skills and learn how to use digital tools for better social interaction.

And "Afghan Girls to University" by Sayed Ziafatullah Saeedi was awarded a third prize, also endowed with 1,000 euros. This project focuses on ten female survivors of a suicide attack on the Kaaj Educational Center in Kabul (Afghanistan) in 2022, who are denied access to education by the Taliban. Although they have excellent qualifications, they are unable to apply for universities in the US/Europe because of the wide gap between the Afghan and US/European education systems and the female students' unfamiliarity with the latter. To help them successfully apply to universities in the US/Europe, this project firstly provides them with one-to-one tutoring, and secondly finances the fee for their English test.

Among the first congratulators that evening were Dr Michael Edinger (Thuringian Ministry for Economis Affairs, Science and Digital Society), who gave a welcoming speech at the award ceremony, and Dr Julia Duchrow, (Deputy Secretary General of Amnesty International Germany), who said in her keynote speech that the commitment to human rights is just as important today as it was when the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was promulgated shortly after the Second World War. Congratulations were of course also extended by the approximately 80 guests as well as the supporters of the event: the Kinnings Foundation, the Town & Country Foundation, the Haniel Foundation and Udo van Meeteren.

The University of Erfurt is proud of its students at the Brandt School. Because it takes courageous and inspiring people to change the world step by step. Congratulations to all the winners!

You can find an overview of all nominated projects on our website: www.uni-erfurt.de/en/university/current/news/news-detail/brandt-school-presents-the-commitment-award-for-the-12th-time