Project 2021-2025

Faith in the future: empowering Black women through theological education

This project focuses on providing educational opportunities for students from low-income backgrounds and from diverse religious traditions. UNIDA has been at the forefront in developing scholarship programs, often in partnership with Brazilian government programs, but the outcomes of UNIDAs scholarship programs already surpass government-based initiatives because our student body includes a higher-than-usual percentage of poor and Black students.

UNIDAs Project 2021-2025 expresses faith in the future by setting the goal of providing 3,000 new students with educational opportunities at affordable prices, and “affordable prices” means that low-income students, especially Black women, will have to receive scholarships.

This project is specifically designed to address gender and racial inequality in Brazilian higher education. It focuses on giving young Black women access to theological education and to the mentoring and job placement they need along the way.

Students admitted to this program will receive scholarship support during either a 3-year undergraduate course of study or a 2-year Master’s program. As students move through their program, UNIDAs Women’s Empowerment Program, run by the Religion, Gender, Violence, and Human Rights Group, will mentor and encourage them. Students will also prepare for future leadership through work placements organized by the Work Placement co-ordinator.

UNIDA’s VISION’:

• Enrolling, educating, and mentoring 3,000 new low-income students, especially young Black women.
• Extending the reach of our educational programs to include more students from every part of Brazil and Latin America.
• Investing US $10 million in scholarships over the period 2021-2025.
• Empowering Black women through theological education so that they can transform Brazil community by community.