Leiden University Fund
Scholarship scheme students take children's rights forward
For many years, Leiden University has run a postgraduate Master’s programme on children’s rights. There is a special scholarship for students from Africa to enter this challenging course. Not only do they return home equipped with specific legal knowledge, it’s the practical skills they acquire that make the biggest impact.
It hasn’t been all that long since children’s fundamental rights were first drafted onto paper. In 1989 the United Nations (UN) first adopted the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Yet in many places around the world, legal enforcement is still far from guaranteed. It seems that the greater the awareness of children’s rights in a given country, the more enforcement improves. The internationally acclaimed Master’s programme, Advanced Studies in International Children’s Rights at Leiden University has contributed to this since 2015.
A wealth of practical skills
Professor Ton Liefaard has been the UNICEF Chair in Children’s Rights at Leiden University since 2012. This is a collaboration between UNICEF Netherlands, Leiden University and the Leiden University Fund. In 2015, Liefaard launched the one-year Master’s programme, unparalleled worldwide. ‘In many countries, there are still very few legal structures in place that take into account children’s rights under the UN Convention. And it’s not only the legal barriers. The rights of children also often clash with traditional practices and beliefs. Therefore, in order to really change things, you must have more to offer than just legal knowledge. That’s the reason we also teach students many practical skills.’
Ruhama Abebe Master’s student in Children’s Rights
Even if I am just a drop in the ocean
‘I wanted to know everything. Which laws protect people in Africa? I studied Family Law. Human Rights, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.; and, the African Charter on Children’s Rights.
Even during my studies, I became a legal aid worker for a time, in Addis Ababa, our capital city. That is, until I joined Save the Children. I was struck emotionally by the frequency by which children are victims of poverty, war and conflicts. This is where fundamental rights work to protect them. So, I knew: this is where I want to make a contribution. But to do so, you need academic knowledge on children’s rights. Leiden was the place I most wanted to go; there you find the smartest experts on children’s rights. However, I was not able to afford it financially.
Nevertheless, thanks to the special scholarship for African students, I made it happen. I will finish my Master’s in 2024. Then I will be taking my academic skills back to Ethiopia. Along with the knowledge I gained, through my fellow students as well. Soon enough, I’ll have the opportunity to help shape children’s rights through my research and advice. Though I may be just a drop in the ocean, making real change begins with each and every one of us’.
The full package
Most of the people who attend the Children’s Rights Master’s programme will already have relevant experience. Working as a lawyer or judge, for example. Or sometimes working as a social worker or with a non-governmental organisation (NGO). ‘The students follow a comprehensive legal programme. In addition to this, they also learn to write a Policy Paper, for instance. Or draft a strategy for an NGO that aims to tackle child marriage. And consider creating presentations in order to convince ministers to integrate children’s rights into their government policies. This full package of both scientific and professional skills makes this advanced Master’s practically relevant.’
Undergraduates come from all over the world. The contribution from Dioraphte is aimed specifically at bringing people over from Kenya, Ethiopia, Malawi, Uganda or South Sudan to Leiden University for the one-year course. Liefaard: ‘A Master’s degree is often unaffordable for them. In offering them a scholarship, we are able to enhance the necessary knowledge and expertise needed in Africa. Our students from Africa establish a global network over here that will be of enormous help to them back home. The scholarship programme contributes significantly to the empowerment of Africa in the global arena of children’s rights. The individuals who graduate with an advanced Master’s degree, transfer their knowledge back home. For example, they teach their own courses there and contribute to setting up policy.’
Investing in talent
Liefaard takes pride in the alumni and is delighted with Dioraphte’s support. ‘Their dedication is really special. The fund also recognises the potential impact of even a single individual professional. I don’t need to explain to Dioraphte what it means to invest in that particular talent. He or she has the potential to create lasting change. Particularly where long-term impact is concerned, you have to want to think big and have the courage to work small’.