The Mehrangez Scholarship Fund

Mehrangez  is a 19-year-old young woman from Tajikistan, a former Soviet Republic that lies just to the north of Afghanistan.  Three years ago, she was one of 800 out of 10,000 applicants who won a full scholarship to America, sponsored by US State Department’s FLEX program (Future Leaders Exchange).  Through this program, Mehrangez spent a year with our family in Hawaii. She completed her junior year at Konawaena High in Kealakekua.

She comes from a village where her father has a concession stand in a gas station and her step mother sews simple Tajik clothing from home. Her home has a dirt floor, no running water and they are poor. The main economic activity in this area is apricots. Mehrangez has 3 younger half siblings, whom she helps care for regularly, but she has bigger dreams.

Female self-determination is unheard off in her society.  Her experience in America was eye opening and while here, she understood what is possible for a woman to accomplish in life and that forever changed her.  She wrote an essay on gender inequality in her country which won her a trip to Washington DC for the coveted Civic Workshop put on by American Councils. She finished her junior year with a 3.667 GPA and a head full of new ideas and plans for how to inspire girls in her country. She saw the studies that show educated women raise family standards.

She returned to her country, finished high school and won the Golden Award for Excellence,  She then began to  attend  her national university. Unfortunately, her pursuit of education came to an end soon after.  In 2015, when she turned 19, under societal and financial pressure, her father terminated her education and told her she must be married.  In her country, a girl belongs to her father until she is married, and then she belongs to her husband.  Society urges early marriages, and babies are expected immediately, domestic violence is commonplace. Having seen what opportunities women can have, she was determined to keep up her studies. This spring, she applied to numerous universities in the US and was accepted to many, but each time, insufficient financial aids stopped her from attending.

Faced with such a dim future in her own country, our family has decided to sponsor Mehrangez, and she has applied to the new community college at Palamanui in Kona, which will issue her an I-20 visa to attend college here. We are seeking contributions to cover costs such as her airfare, tuition, books, health insurance and bus transportation which will come to $10,000 for her first year. Once she is studying at our community college, the next goal is to apply to 4-year colleges where she can complete her education, get her degree and become a contributing member of society. We have decided to raise the bar and aim even higher. We hope to be able to provide her with an additional $10,000 for each year of college, to compliment the scholarships she can and will obtain. 

Father Dick Tardiff of Christ Church Episcopal (PO BOX 545 Kealakekua  HI 96750)  has not only made a very generous personal contribution, but has also set up a tax-deductible scholarship fund through the church to help with the administration of the donations. Checks should be made out to Christ Church, with Mehrangez in the memo line.  GOFUNDME  makes it possible for you to help Mehrangez on line, with the click of a button, which is equally appreciated, albeit without tax relief. 

Please join us working toward the goal of letting Mehrangez be all that she can be, to escape from cultural and societal constraints and determine her own future as an educated young woman.

Thank you!