The BEBUC Excellence Scholarship Program in Congo
Education is a key prerequisite for peace and prosperity. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, universities have been badly affected by civil war, mismanagement and corruption in recent decades.
Deficiencies in the building fabric, missing or outdated equipment, insufficient qualification of teaching staff and a glaring lack of qualified young scientists - all this endangers the university education of future doctors, teachers, engineers and nutritionists, without which a country cannot do. We want to break this vicious circle through the BEBUC Excellence Scholarship Program. BEBUC is currently supporting almost 200 outstanding students throughout Congo, from basically all subjects, on their way to becoming professors.
Education for the DR Congo
BEBUC has the vision to raise a new generation of competent professors. The funding enables scholarship holders to complete their studies quickly in Germany and abroad. After their doctorate, they then pass on their excellent specialist knowledge as well as their linguistic, organizational and ethical skills to students in Congo.
For this project, the best candidates (good grades, best in their year) are selected from the numerous applications and then individually tested at the board. However, only a few receive the coveted scholarship: around 25-30 scholarships are awarded each year. The scholarship holders receive continuous support and advice on their way to a professorship, including during the annual re-evaluations. The support provided by personal sponsorships and, above all, by the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation is particularly valuable.
15 Years of BEBUC: The Organization Continues to Grow
The scholarship program was founded in 2008 and the international team behind BEBUC, or rather the Support Association Uni Kinshasa e.V., that emerged from it in 2009, now has over 2000 members from 58 countries worldwide. Currently, outstanding students at 16 Congolese partner universities and abroad are supported.
Especially for the promotion of girls and to increase the hitherto very low percentage of women at Congolese universities, the program also supports excellent students at seven high schools and two elementary school. The scholarship holders are developing excellently, 23 of them have already attained a professorship in Congo. The cohesion of the scholarship holders, their mutual support and their democratic self-organization - and their visions for a better future for the Congo - give cause for hope.
Contact & Links
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Gerhard Bringmann (previously Chair of Organic Chemistry I at the University of Würzburg) has been working with African scientists in the field of drug discovery for many years. The cooperation with Prof. Virima Mudogo from the University of Kinshasa has resulted in the BEBUC excellence scholarship programme.
Support Association Uni Kinshasa – BEBUC
