Update July:

In spring 2020, when we realized that the pandemic was causing students to get into financial difficulties, University Fund Wageningen (UFW) launched a crowdfunding campaign to establish an emergency fund. Since then, a lot of involved donors, alumni, WUR staff members and students have given a donation and supportive words. With this support we were able to help 28 students and released them from financial insecurity and stress.  

In March of this year, we were still receiving applications from other students in need and we therefore continued the crowdfunding campaign. With great result: in this campaign we received in total €119.824 from 1.321 donors! With your help we were already able to support 35 students. Students like Francisco from Portugal. He would like to share his story and thank for your help with this Thank you-video. 

Master student Amar can also continue his studies
You have also greatly supported Amar*, a master student Food Technology from India. His father is a hard-working man, earns a living for his family and pays the college tuition for his children. To be able to pay for the tuition for Amar’s education, his parents had to take out a very high-interest loan.

Due to the corona crisis his fathers’ income was halved. Amars’ parents did have some savings, but now they were running out of money. It was a stressful situation for the whole family. And Amar was uncertain about whether he could continue his studies. He only had some savings for food and living expenses for a few months. However, he still had to cover five additional months until he could start his paid internship. Amar cannot work for a living, because he did not get a work visa. He just did not know what to do...

On a WUR student website Amar found information about the emergency fund for students. With the help of his student counsellor he applied for financial support. After just a few days he received a positive reply: Amar will be financial supported for five months so he can continue his studies. A big relief, for Amar and for his family! Amar’s reaction: 

“Is this for real? I mean my family and I can’t thank you enough. We are grateful for this gesture and help at this time. This has definitely taken huge chunk of stress off my shoulders and now I have one clear vision of getting graduated next year.”

Amar is driven to finish his studies and to work in the food technology sector. He would like to create new food products for children and families in poverty in Asia.

Huge thank you!
Amar: “With the help of the Emergency Fund and all donors I am able to continue my studies. In the future I’ll be happy to support other students in a similar situation.”

On behalf of all students like Amar and Francisco I would like to thank you for your generous support and concern. With your donation you invest in the educational development of these students so they can build a future career and contribute to society.

*Amar is a fictitious name, because he prefers anonymity.
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Update June 11 – We have reached the target! More than 1,300 students, alumni and WUR-staff members have donated in total €119,642. Thanks to your donation we can help students in need. An amazing result! Apart from donations we also received heartwarming reaction from donors;

Anonymous: “I know my donation is not much, but in my study period, I had a difficult time. At that time, WUR and Anne van den Band Fund helped me a lot, and it was an unforgettable moment! Thanks so much for the help.”

Lily: “Our students wherever they are from, are our future and we should support them whenever we can. Good luck all!

Anonymous: “Because I think it’s important that students can complete their studies. In these difficult times they can definitely use the support from others.”

We received new applications from students and these will be assessed by the Committee. 

One of the students that recently received support from the emergency fund is very gratefull. We would like to share his reaction with you:

“Respected committee, Is this for real? I mean I can’t thank you enough from me and my family’s side. We are grateful for this gesture and help at this time. This has definitely taken huge chunk of stress off my head and now I have one clear vision of getting graduated next year.”

That’s why we do this together. We will keep you informed about the emergency fund and the students you help in the future.

On behalf of these students, thank you for your support!

Update May 12: The target is almost reached but donations are still very welcome! It will mean we can assist more students in need. On behalf of the students thank you so much for your support! 

Update April 22 2021: The COVID-19 pandemic is lasting longer than we all could have foreseen and still has a great impact on students at Wageningen University. For students in the final phase of their studies, it has been extremely difficult to find an internship and thesis research projects have to be altered as fieldwork or research abroad is currently nearly impossible. Because of this, students are forced to delay their studies, with all the additional costs this entails. At the same time, side jobs in hospitality or shops have fallen away, taking away students’ options to supplement their income. Also, parents of international students without a scholarship can no longer give the financial support they had pledged. Therefore, many students still find themselves in dire need.

Last year we asked for your help to support students with financial difficulties. We received many positive reactions from alumni, WUR staff members and students, and together we raised more than €68,000. Your support enabled 29 students to continue or successfully finish their studies. One example is Julia, an MSc Forest and Nature Conservation student from Hungary. With help of the emergency fund she managed to overcome her financial difficulties and insecurities, allowing her to continue her studies. A fantastic result!

Unfortunately, the emergency fund is now almost empty while we still receive requests from students in need and expect even more demand, especially from those hoping to graduate in June. As you can imagine, the uncertainty and financial difficulties create a great deal of stress for students as they apply to the emergency fund. We want to help them overcome this insecurity and support them in crossing the finish line. Therefore, we would like to ask you to participate once more and contribute to the emergency fund.

Julia and our Dean of Students Ruur have an urgent message for you, please view the video here.

Julia: “I pay for my studies myself, and due to the corona crisis I lost a significant part of my income. With help of the emergency fund I was able to continue my studies.”

Please join this cause and make a donation today. 

If we all contribute, even with just a small amount, we can make an real difference in students’ lives together. On behalf of Julia, Ruur and all students, thank you very much!

Jan Karel Mak,
Chair University Fund Wageningen