(Ben Gurion University of the Negev)

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has a dedicated support programme for young female Bedouin students. The care for these young women of the future extends from the highest echelons of leadership at BGU to the student body itself… and, even to a generous South African organization with headquarters in Cape Town.

Recently Dianna Yach, Chairperson of the Mauerberger Foundation, visited BGU to meet with the recipients of the Mauerberger Foundation Scholarships. Dianna's annual visit ensures that the Mauerberger Foundation's mission to empower these women is achieved: through education they are able to empower their own communities.

BGU President Prof. Rivka Carmi is herself the co-founder of an NGO that promotes education for Bedouin women. Professor Carmi's contribution to the Bedouin population is far-reaching. Her speciality in genetics of the Negev Bedouin population led to tests that detect genetic abnormalities. Bedouin communities now incorporate these tests in matchmaking, and infant mortality has dropped dramatically. The Israeli government adopted Prof. Carmi's program, offering these tests to Bedouins as well as Arabs in northern Israel.

BGU ensures the sustainability of these benefits through its dedicated Robert H. Arnow Center for Bedouin Studies and Development, established in 1998 to promote education within the Bedouin society of the Negev. The Center is tasked with outreach and retention programs, providing financial and academic assistant to Bedouin students who account for about 8% of the student body, half of these students being female. The Bedouin community's first female gynaecologist is a graduate of BGU. It is partnerships between donors like South Africa's Mauerberger Foundation and BGU's community-oriented leadership that are empowering the Bedouin women of the Negev.