SCHOOL of the Nations’ Sixth Form students, through fund-raising activities, have been able to contribute to a worldwide effort to fund 43 scholarships for refugees in Turkey, as well as Gambian girls. The scholarships allow the recipients to pursue Advancing Business Education (ABE) diploma courses.
For over 12 years, the school has been partnering with ABE to offer Level 4 or Level 5 diploma courses. The courses, the difficulties of which are the equivalent to year one and year two, respectively, of a bachelor’s degree, have given students all over the world the opportunity to get jobs, progress their careers and achieve degrees.
About 18 months ago, the School of the Nations “expanded its field of vision” when its director, Dr. Brian O’Toole, travelled to The Gambia in West Africa, and Turkey to explore new collaborations. He used those visits as an opportunity to use education to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

In Turkey, Dr O’Toole met with 90 Iranian refugees who had fled their motherland to escape the deadly persecution of Bahá’ís. Some of the refugees, who had been living in Turkey for nearly seven years while trying to rebuild their lives, expressed gratitude for the ABE programme, noting that a chance at education gave them hope for their future.
“My life is still in suspense, but the ABE programme has helped me to have more hope for my future and it has helped me to be educated,” one of the refugees, whose name was given as “Kimia”, stated. “One of the benefits of the scholarship is that it helps me to continue my education and begin to achieve my goals. In my religion, we are taught that education is of great importance, but in my country, simply because of my religion, we are not allowed to attend university,” said “Omid”, another refugee.

He added: “These scholarships to study the ABE courses have helped many of us a lot. This ABE course offers me the possibility of a suitable job after graduation. This scholarship has also given me the opportunity to develop my personality and put myself on the path to progress and has allowed me to enter the ABE programme and I am very grateful for that.”
The ‘Nations’ 6th Form Student Council organised a gala dinner in 2019, which included a sale of art-work from the students in The Gambia, to raise money for the scholarships,.
The Gambia, though one of the poorest countries in Africa, is home to Starfish International, a pre-eminent NGO that works with young women from humble backgrounds, and assists them in developing their potential in a variety of ways. Mentors at Starfish International have since come together in an outpouring of gratitude towards the School of the Nations and ABE, detailing how the programme has helped them to prepare for business, kick-start their own ventures, and guided their own students in their business endeavours.

Additionally, ‘Nations’ has just given ten scholarships to youths in Iran to study the Kids MBA programme that it offers in collaboration with ABE.
“All of this was only possible because of the support of a small group of persons in the UK, Guyana, Canada and the USA who provide invaluable scholarship support to open these doors for Awa, Omid, Kimia and 40 others. Amidst the chaos of these days, it shows what pure deeds can achieve. Nor could it have been achieved without the commitment, flexibility and support of ABE – a true team effort,” Dr .O’Toole said. Meanwhile, Steffi Sinclair, a member of the 6th Form Student Council, stated that they were taught to serve humanity.
“At Nations, we are constantly reminded that it is our responsibility to do our part for humanity as a whole…we must put service over self. If we help a few, the hope is that they, in turn, use what they know to help others. We, as the students of today, are the leaders of tomorrow and world events each day show us the need for strong moral leaders,” she said.