Thursday 9 November 2023
The Australian Multicultural Foundation, in partnership with the Carla Zampatti Foundation has announced the official winners of its annual Australian Multicultural Foundation Carla Zampatti Scholarship for Young Women – a national initiative dedicated to helping young women from new and emerging culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to achieve their dreams.
The Scholarship was developed in 2022 to celebrate the legacy of renowned Australian fashion designer and champion for multiculturalism, Carla Zampatti. This year, four young Australian women have been revealed as Scholarship’s recipients.
Joint winners, Bellamore Ndayikeze and Maryjane Amos have been granted $5,000 each, while Ayah Darwich and Kimberly Wadyehwata have both received a $2,500 prize.
Dr Bulent Hass Dellal AO, Executive Director of the Australian Multicultural Foundation, said the outcome of this year’s Scholarship is representative of the under-utilised talents of young women from migrant and refugee backgrounds:
“Through this Scholarship, we are capitalising on and celebrating the untapped innovation of young women from diverse backgrounds across Australia, casting a spotlight on their skills, creativity, and dedication. Our four finalists reflect this, and we are excited to help them in pursuing their unique and timely contributions to their various industries spanning business, the arts, media, community, and sport.”
Alexander Schuman, Carla Zampatti’s son and CEO of Carla Zampatti Pty Ltd, said:
“We are thrilled to see the return of the Scholarship this year, and excited to be continuing Mum’s genuine advocacy in supporting culturally diverse women. Through this Scholarship, mum’s legacy as a successful businesswoman lives on, and we can encourage young diverse women to defy the odds like she did”.
Maryjane Amos, a joint winner of the Scholarship, originates from Nigeria and is pursuing her business, MuveBox, a sustainable alternative to the traditional moving experience.
After spending her childhood in a refugee camp in Tanzania, Bellamore Ndaiyikeze has been inspired to start a social impact company to support other young diverse people.
Australian-Lebanese woman, Ayah Darwich, aspires to create a film to share the unseen side of Lebanon with Australians.
Kimberly Wadyehwata, a Zimbabwean media personality, aspires to expand her multi-media channel that champions multicultural representation through user-generated content.
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