Over S$200,000 raised for scholarship for Palestinian students in S'pore universities

Over S$200,000 has been raised for the Palestinian Scholarship Initiative (PSI), a community-led scholarship that sponsors Palestinian students to study in Singapore.

The scholarship was launched on Oct. 26, 2024, by a group of Singaporeans as a response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong joined PSI's partners at their iftar event on Mar. 18 to show his support for the cause.

At the event, PM Wong said that he was "heartened by the community-led effort to help young Palestinians pursue their education in Singapore so they can build better futures for themselves and their families when they return to rebuild their homeland."

"Be it through ground-up initiatives or government programmes, Singapore will continue to do whatever we can to support the people of Palestine in their time of need," he added.

Over 900 individual donations

Over 900 individual donations have been made as of Mar. 11, with each donation averaging S$200.

The smallest donation was S$3, and the highest was S$20,000.

"We are grateful for the diverse and widespread support of PSI from Singaporeans and residents alike," said Anthea Ong, former Nominated Member of Parliament and co-chair of PSI.

"While we may not change the world with this small contribution, we sincerely hope that PSI can make a world of difference to one or two young Palestinian scholars who come to Singapore to study each year."

PSI had set a fundraising target of S$400,000 to sponsor two Palestinian students annually to study full-time at Singapore universities.

The S$200,000 for each student would cover tuition fees, lodging and other related expenses.

The funds raised are collected and managed by the Singapore-based crowdfunding platform Ray of Hope.

Over 150 young Palestinians have since expressed their interest in the PSI scholarships.

Of these, 15 have applied to the National University of Singapore, seven to the Singapore Management University, three to the Singapore University of Social Sciences, and two to the Singapore Institute of Technology.

The scholarship applications will be assessed and awarded only to students who successfully attain spots in Singapore universities.

The first PSI scholars are expected to commence their studies in the academic year 2025 once local university applications close on Mar. 19.

If you would like to donate to this cause, you can do so here.

Top photos via NUS/website