Christopher Dowswell Scholarship Fund

Winrock is excited to announce, beginning in 2021, the Havener Doswell Scholarship Fund. The scholarship fund combines two Winrock programs, the Christopher Dowswell Scholarship Fund and the Havener Endowment Fund. The new, combined Havener Doswell Scholarship Fund will award scholarships to African women seeking post-secondary degrees in the field of agriculture. Winrock will issue scholarships through our existing programs in Africa that will manage the program. The scholarship award can be used for tuition and other required course fees and materials.

The Havener Endowment Fund, named in honor of Winrock’s former president, Robert Havener, and his wife Elizabeth, provides agricultural education and training for African women. The Christopher Dowswell Scholarship, named for Dowswell, the aide-de-camp to Nobel Laureate Dr. Norman E. Borlaug, helps increase the number of women in extension services by financially supporting women pursuing degrees in agricultural extension in Africa.

Because most extension agents are men, new practices, technologies and inputs often don’t reach women. With relatively limited investments, the scholarships provide crucial financial support to women to gain credentials to work in extension services and support women famers in their communities.

Funded by a variety of donors, including GlobalGiving contributors, Winrock has sponsored more than 89 women in Mali, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Benin, with scholarships valued at more than $225,000. Shifts in funding priorities from major donors meant that Winrock expected the program to close at the end of 2020. Fortunately, due to the contributions of generous individuals such as members of the Dowswell Family and Winrock International staff, we are instead rolling out this new program to continue the same work.

The new, combined program recognizes the close relationship between Robert Havener and Christopher Dowswell while allowing Winrock to continue to provide and increase the number of scholarships.

To qualify for the scholarship, students will need to demonstrate the potential for future successes in the field of agriculture and meet the following criteria:

• Commitment to studying the field of agriculture, with priority given to the field of agricultural extension in an African Institution.

• Commitment to the importance of the field of agriculture and interest in pursuing a job or career related to it.

• Desire to apply education obtained in local communities in Africa.

• Academic achievement.

• Financial need.

• Current student at an educational institution located where there is a Winrock International presence.

On behalf of Winrock, we would like to offer a special thank you to you, our GlobalGiving donors, for your generous support.

Stay tuned for more updates!

We are pleased to share with you that 13 of the Christopher Dowswell Scholarship (CDS) awardees graduated this past academic year and each of the scholars have been paid in full. Through the support of the Dowswell family and numerous other donors, Winrock has issued more than $225,000 in scholarships to female agricultural extension agents seeking a BSc. degree or diploma.  

The purpose of the Dowswell Scholarship is to increase the number of women extension agents. As front-line agricultural extension staff, these women also become role models for the young women and girls who hope to follow them into the field of agriculture.

One Dowswell Scholar named Oyinoloye said the scholarship has inspired her to serve as an example to other women in her community.  

“As a woman, I need to go deep into my rural area to encourage our women in the right way of utilizing our resources,” Oyinoloye said. “By encouraging women to partake in agriculture as a profession and as a busines, the scholarship is a wonderful opportunity. It encourages women to involve themselves in studying agriculture.”

The specifics of scholarship processes such as distribution, selection and duration will be reviewed in the coming months in preparation for the announcement and selection of the 2020-2021 scholars. In the past, scholarships were usually advertised, awarded and mentored in collaboration with the Sasakawa Fund for Extension Education Program (SAFE). As the new academic year begins, however, these processes will most likely look quite different due to COVID-19. 

On behalf of Winrock, we thank donors for their generous support.

Stay tuned for more updates!