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Banaa Scholars

So far, two Banaa Scholars have started the program. These incredibly talented students were selected among dozens of inspiring applicants.

Banaa works hard to build an ethnically and academically diverse applicant pool. As a result of long-standing gender roles in many Sudanese cultures, academically qualified women have proven more difficult to identify. Banaa is working very hard to identify qualified women, because women’s empowerment is one of the most vital factors for economic development and peace-building.

Banaa candidates are evaluated not only on their academic record, but on their demonstrated commitment to peace. They apply to for a Banaa Scholarship knowing that their acceptance is contingent on at least seven years of public service for marginalized communities in Sudan.

Our two current Banaa scholars have performed remarkably. Click on their profile to learn more:

Current Banaa Scholars

Makwei Mabioor Deng

Age:24

George Washington University

Junior (enrolled Fall 2008)

Majors:Philosophy & Economics

When Makwei was 6 years old, he and his family were forced to flee the violence in his birthplace of Kongor, South Sudan. He grew up in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya, where excelled in school and rose to the top of his class. After attending high school on a local Jesuit scholarship, he returned to Kakuma to be a teacher, because he could not afford college. Makwei was admitted to GWU on the very first Banaa scholarship. He wrote an outstanding essay on the critical need for legal institutions where citizens can settle their grievances in a court of law, rather than resorting to violence. Makwei is studying philosophy so that he can understand himself and the way people think, and he intends to go to law school so that he can pioneer the creation of a just legal system for his people. In addition to his studies at GWU, Makwei has also managed to write and publish the first ever Dinka Language Textbook: a tool for young students in South Sudan to learn the grammar and vocabulary of their native tongue so that the Dinka language survives.

“The absence of democracy in Sudan…is the core issue that has dogged Sudan prior to, during, and after her independence. As a lawyer, I would advocate and lobby for an inclusive Sudanese national government that would consider its leaders on a basis of their capabilities and qualifications irrespective of their racial or religious backgrounds”

–Excerpt from Makwei’s Banaa Application Essay

Mo Hassan

Age: 22 years old

The University of Rochester

Freshman (enrolled Fall 2010)

Possible MajorPeace Studies or Economics

Mo grew up in a small town in Darfur near an African Union peace- keeping base. After school, Mo would talk to the soldiers. When he realized that many of the troops were speaking the language that he had heard on the television, he asked them to teach him. Mo’s English skills proved invaluable: when he was 16 years old he got a job working for a construction company that builds bases and manages supply logistics in Darfur. Mo was a savvy and reliable employee, and quickly rose from digging ditches to managing water purification in Nyala, the second largest city in Darfur. His American colleagues encouraged him to apply for college, and helped him find and apply to the Banaa Scholarship program. Mo wrote excellent essays on the need for basic infrastructure – health, water, electricity and transportation – to promote peace through development. As a Freshman, Mo has quickly become a popular and dynamic contributor to campus life at the University of Rochester.

"By ensuring there are good roads…Once people are able to travel without constraints, then we will have a better Sudan. Building hospitals and schools helps people to live peacefully, because once people are educated and healthy, they will value peace."

–Excerpt from Mo’s Banaa Application Essay