Sunita who is a Nepali student became the recipient of the one millionth dollar from a scholarship fund backed in part by the sale of women’s devotional books on Wednesday.
The one-millionth dollar was included in a $500 scholarship granted to Sunita during a meeting of the Women’s Ministries Scholarship Fund at the world church’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. The money will assist Sunita in paying for her tuition at India’s Spicer Adventist University, where she is majoring in Education.
Heather-Dawn Small, director of the world church’s Women’s Ministries department said, “By helping Sunita, we are strengthening our church in Nepal. We’re wanting to strengthen the church worldwide by empowering women and supporting them in their higher education.
Originally founded by the proceeds of an annual women’s devotional book, the fund over the years has awarded 2,164 scholarships to Adventist women attending universities in 124 countries. Department leaders say the fund has helped strengthen the Adventist Church worldwide, especially in developing countries. “Education is one of our core focus points, and it’s the only department in the world church we know of that gives scholarships for women,” she said.
The scholarship fund has recently focused on Nepal and a host of other countries, often with a special fund. These include Myanmar, Cambodia, Ukraine, India, Cameroon and South Sudan.
The General Conference Women’s Ministries department dates back to 1898 when it was established by Sarepta M.I. Henry, but it fizzled out after her death two years later. The denomination’s Executive Committee re-established Women’s Ministries as a General Conference department in 1990, and the 1995 General Conference Session meeting voted Women’s Ministries as a full department throughout the denomination’s world divisions.
To apply to the Women’s Ministries Scholarship Fund, visit adventistwomensministries.org
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