The De Beers Group of Companies has signed a 3-year partnership with UN Women.
The partnership includes a national program that will have two scholarships with the University of Waterloo in Ontario. These scholarships will work on supporting female students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) programs.
Beginning in 2018, De Beers will also become involved in the University of Waterloo’s outreach programs for girls, including Waterloo’s IMPACT camp for Indigenous girls.
De Beers said, “a strong component of all programs in Canada will include a focus on Indigenous females, especially those from the regions where De Beers operates in Canada.”
The Waterloo partnership will be used as a model for other universities across Canada.
With the current two scholarships, there will be an additional 14 for the start of the 2018-2019 school year. Those will be with other schools located across Canada.
A committee made up of the University of Waterloo, UN Women and De Beers Canada will be formed in October.
The two UW scholarships will be announced this school semester.
