Meeting the Irish Aid Fellows

Representative Conlon hosted four Irish Aid Fellows in the Representative Office of Ireland to hear about the experiences studying for Masters Degrees in Ireland.

Irish Aid began offering fellowships to Palestinian students in 1991. Over the course of 25 years more than 23 students have obtained Masters level degrees in Ireland with the help of Irish Aid funding.

Today, the programme helps staff members from our partner organisations to travel to Ireland and to study for a degree which can benefit their careers as well as strengthen the specialist knowledge and effectiveness of our partner organisations in Palestine.

We are proud to note the success of our past fellows, who include Shawan Jabarin, Director of Al Haq, the oldest Palestinian human rights NGO. Mr Jabarin graduated from the Irish Centre for Human Rights in the National University of Ireland, Galway, in 2005. In 2010 Mr Jabarin was awarded the distinguished graduate award from the Centre.

Over the course of a breakfast meeting with some of our fellows, one of whom has just returned from completing his programme this summer, they reminisced and reflected on their experiences in Ireland, which were recalled with great fondness, and gave advice on how best the Irish Aid Fellowship programme might develop and improve in the years to come.

More information on the Irish Aid Training Fellowship Programme is available on the Irish Aid Training Fellowship Programme page, and on the Irish Council for International Students website, which administers the Programme on our behalf.