Higher education Women of purpose 6 By Anne Basye
arah Abendanon just bought a winter coat. “It is heavy, and I feel so big in it,” said the fresh-
man at Augsburg College, Minne- apolis. Used to the tropical weather of Suriname, she is preparing herself for January in the Midwest. Abendanon and five other young
women from Malaysia, Mexico and Madagascar are the first scholarship recipients of the ELCA International Women Leaders initiative. A part- nership between the churchwide organization, global companion church bodies, and ELCA colleges and universities, the initiative seeks to open doors for women identi- fied by their churches as promising leaders. Abendanon’s recommendation
started with the youth board of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Suriname. Active in church social life, a frequent liturgy assistant and an excellent student, Abendanon was her peers’ top choice.
Strengthening opportunities Since 1988 more than 900 leaders have completed academic degrees and other study programs with scholarship assistance from the ELCA. They have returned home to serve their churches and communi- ties as bishops, seminary teachers, pastors, doctors and more. One- third of them are women. “In general, women have not
been afforded the same access to education by the social and political
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structures in their home churches and countries,” said Tammy Jackson, director for the ELCA International Leaders program. To address this, an initiative
focusing on women was introduced as part of Always Being Made New: The Campaign for the ELCA. The 2013 ELCA Churchwide Assembly voted to raise $4 million over the course of five years to empower 200 women leaders from the “global south” (Africa, Central and Latin America, and most of Asia) through new educational opportunities. Forty-six women have already
participated in International Women Leaders seminars in Wittenberg, Germany (The Lutheran; October, page 16). Others like Abendanon will receive scholarships to study at ELCA colleges and universities or in programs in their regions. This year, 10 women from Thailand, Tanzania, Palestine, Senegal and the Central African Republic have been approved for regional scholarships.
Leaders on campus Working in the mornings and attending classes at night, Aben- danon had completed two years of university in Suriname before applying for the ELCA scholarship. At Augsburg, she is savoring a com- pletely different style of teaching. “My religion professor asks what we think about our readings and encourages different points of view,” she said. “In Suriname schools, what
Sarah Abendanon, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Suriname, recently began her freshman year at Augsburg College, Minneapolis. Upon recommenda- tion from the denomination’s youth board, her church council selected her to apply for a scholarship through the ELCA International Women Leaders initiative.
the teacher says goes.” Abby Lai, a member of the
Lutheran Church in Malaysia who attends Newberry (S.C.) College, is enjoying a freshman seminar on werewolves, vampires and zombies. She hopes to focus her studies on accounting and economics. While Sthela Hanitrinirina, 24,
is older than most of her classmates at Luther College, Decorach, Iowa, “they have been teaching me so much and giving me so much love,” she said. “In Madagascar, culture tells us that younger people are never wise enough to teach you something. But I can learn from 19-year-olds.” Hanitrinirina’s volunteer résumé
ELCA International Women Leaders scholarship recipients include:
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