TIGblogs - elmahdi oummih

ALA students get accepted to Top Notch Schools
Translated into English by: elmahdi oummih
Dear Friends,

We are breaking from our usual quarterly e-mail cycle to send this special news blast! Over the past month we have marveled as our students have received "early" acceptances to some of the world's leading universities, have launched groundbreaking initiatives on campus, and have been humbled by the support of individuals like you, who are helping us capture the matching funds we have on offer.

We hope you will consider a year-end donation to ALA, and we are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to ALA this holiday season. We know that there are many organizations competing for your energy and resources, but we believe that African Leadership Academy offers the most exciting investment we can make in Africa's future. Thank you for joining us in our quest to change lives and transform a continent.

We hope you enjoy this special update, and from everyone at African Leadership Academy, we wish you a happy holiday season.

Sincerely,

Fred Swaniker, Chris Bradford, Peter Mombaur, and Acha Leke
ALA Founders

EARLY UNIVERSITY ADMISSIONS!

In October, a group of ALA students applied in the "early round" for admission to leading universities around the world, and the results have flowed in over the past week. Our early admissions successes have been staggering - ALA students have been admitted to Yale, Stanford, Dartmouth, Penn, Cornell, Columbia, Duke, Georgetown, Tufts, and others! Six of our students were invited to interview at Oxford and Cambridge over the past two weeks, and we received news of our first admission to Oxford yesterday! Yet another ALA student has been named a finalist for the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina.

Best of all, the universities are coming to the party with amazing scholarships that meet the full financial need for our admitted students! From Columbia to the College of Wooster, leading universities are recognizing the incredible potential of our students and making it possible for them to attend university - often free of charge - next year. Our early admission results bode well for the vast majority of our students, who will learn of their college admissions in March and April!

EXCITING STUDENT INITIATIVES CONTINUE!

Last week witnessed the launch of the "Global Strategy on Inclusive Education" by ALA student Edward Ndopu of South Africa. Edward, who lives with a disability and must use a wheelchair for mobility, wants to see more educational opportunities made available to children living with disabilities in developing countries - who today rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to attend mainstream schools. You can watch the powerful speech that Edward gave at the launch - and read more about his promising initiative by visiting www.gsieactivist.org.
ON TRACK FOR "THE MATCH"

Four weeks ago, a small group of supporters laid down a challenge and offered a $1.5 million matching fund for all donations received before 31 December. We are on track to meet this target, but we still need your help! If you have already contributed, we thank you so much for your contribution toward making this possible! The match represents a game-changing opportunity for ALA, and we hope we will fully close the match in the last days of the year. Every dollar counts, and we thank you for contributing and sharing our news with friends or contacts who might be interested in ALA.

Are you looking for a holiday gift for the hard-to-shop-for person on your list?
Why not make a donation to ALA in honor of someone you love? Every donation above US$170 will be honored with a brick in your name on our Founders' Wall, which will be unveiled in 2010. If you wish to personalize the inscription on your brick, then please make your donation through this link.

And if you act today, your gift will be matched 1:1 by the generous matching fund we have on offer - generating twice the impact on ALA and our students!

... developing the next generation of African leaders

www.africanleadershipacademy.org