The Brethren Community Foundation (BCF), Global Partners for Development (GPD), and Whittier College have come together to create an elite study abroad fellowship opportunity for Whittier juniors and seniors. Launched in fall 2017, this program is a transformational opportunity for students to engage in authentic grassroots community-driven development in East Africa via the work of Global Partners and their partner communities.
Through the generous support of the BCF, 100 percent of costs associated with the fellowship will be funded for Whittier students. Additionally, students will have the opportunity to use a meaningful budget to design and implement a project that will improve communities in Tanzania, and study the ongoing impact of this work.
Global Partners was founded as a membership organization called World Runners International Foundation to generate support for ending hunger and starvation in the world. Renamed in 1993, GPD works with community leaders in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to identify and implement development projects in the areas of education and public health.
The mission of the BCF is to benefit youth and seniors through philanthropic grants to non-profit organizations and individuals of all backgrounds needing financial assistance due to family instability, poverty, and/or challenges adapting to the community.
Harriet Harris and her husband Whittier Trustee Emeritus Bill Harris Jr. ’55 were instrumental in bringing this partnership to the College. They are strong supporters of Global Partners and have been part of the Brethren Corporation—parent organization of the BCF—for decades. Bill served on the board for 35 years.
“The Brethren Community Fellowship is an important initiative for Whittier College and the BCF as it provides an important link to other world cultures,” said Harriet Harris. “We anticipate students will gain a broader understanding of the world and one’s role in humanity.”
Malory Henry ’18 and Madeline McMurray ’18 have been named the inaugural Brethren Community Foundation Fellowship recipients. As preparation for their travels, Henry and McMurray attended a training session at the GPD headquarters in Sonoma, Calif.