Media Release
25 November 2020
The Australian Embassy has awarded grants to 25 Australian alumni from Indonesia to deliver a number of projects that will assist in COVID-19 recovery efforts.
Under the 2020 Alumni Grants Scheme, Australian aims to mobilise alumni to use their experience, knowledge and networks to address development challenges in their professional fields or communities.
About two-thirds of the projects will directly benefit communities that have been affected by the global pandemic.
An approved project in Aceh will assist coconut farmers. A project approved for areas in eastern Indonesia will provide tele dental health services to those in need. Another project in Kalimantan will boost the earning capacity of people with a disability through the COVID-19 pandemic and a national project aims to empower women entrepreneurs in the creative economy who have been hit particularly hard by COVID-19.
The 25 successful applicants for the second round of the scheme this year will receive up to A$15,000 to deliver projects in the sectors of trade, agriculture, public health and disability services sectors. The winners have been chosen from a field of close to 300 proposals.
“Congratulations to all successful applicants. It is so good to see alumni want to use their experience and knowledge gained in Australia to strengthen professional and local communities through these projects, especially through projects that will help in the recovery from the effects of COVID-19,” Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Gary Quinlan said.
The Australian Government’s scholarships and alumni engagement program, Australia Awards in Indonesia, has since 2014 supported 213 projects which have contributed to strengthening Indonesia’s prosperity and helping the country’s most disadvantaged.
Connecting with those Indonesians that have studied in Australia is a top priority for the Australian Embassy.
The Alumni Grant Scheme is open to all Indonesians who have graduated from a recognised Australian tertiary institution, including those who are self-funded and alumni of short-term studies or programs in Australia.
The Alumni Grant Scheme for the next round, Round 1 2021, is now open until 25 January 2021.
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