The SVRI in partnership with the Oak Foundation’s Prevent Child Sexual Abuse programme is delighted to invite applications for bursaries to attend the SVRI Forum 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa, 21 – 25 October. SVRI Forum 2019 is SVRIs 6th global conference and is fast becoming the world’s key research conference on violence against women and violence against children in low and middle-income countries.

These bursaries are for practitioners, researchers, activists working in the area of violence against children. We are particularly interested in applications from people researching/working on prevention of child sexual abuse in low- and middle-income countries.

What will the bursary cover?

Full or partial bursaries are available. A full bursary will cover economy flights to and from Cape Town, airport transfers in Cape Town, accommodation, and conference fees. It does not cover home-country transport, visa costs or a per diem. Partial bursaries can include registration only; accommodation and flights only; flights only or accommodation only.

Bursary Selection

Selection of bursaries will take the following into consideration:

How to apply

Apply online or copy the following link into your browser: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZJWLMW9. Applications close Friday, 23rd August 2019 11:59pm SAST. Please note, no applications via email will be accepted. For any queries contact us at svri.forums@mrc.ac.za.

This call is now closed.

The SVRI Forum Young Professionals Programme (previously, Abstract Mentoring Programme) is an exciting initiative which provides the opportunity for young professionals from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), to expand their knowledge and skills-base, and to network and engage with experts in a vibrant global space.

The SVRI introduced its first Abstract Mentoring Programme at the SVRI Forum 2011 in Cape Town, South Africa, where four young professionals were mentored by experienced researchers to confidently and successfully deliver their presentations at the Forum. In 2017, the SVRI supported six young professionals to attend the SVRI Forum in Brazil, expanding the programme to include Spanish and Portuguese speaking mentors and mentees.

The success of this mentoring model paved the way for the SVRI Forum Young Professionals Programme, which not only provides the opportunity for Young Professionals to present at an international event and to receive guidance on their presentations in the run up to the Forum this year, but also to participate in networking events to learn from experienced professionals at the conference. 

What exactly does mentoring entail in the Young Professionals Programme?
The goal of the Young Professionals Programme is to support, nurture and guide Young Professionals who have had an abstract accepted for presentation at the SVRI Forum 2019 in the process of developing their presentations for the conference. Mentors are experienced professionals who will support young professionals to confidently deliver their presentations through a two-month process of developing and refining their presentation and to receive guidance on public speaking where necessary. Mentoring happens online via email and where mentors and young professionals agree, Skype or any other type video/voice calling may be used.

Networking
The SVRI Forum will provide spaces for Young Professionals to network and learn from experienced professionals at the conference. These spaces will encourage young professionals to exchange ideas, learn from each other and from others working in the field. More information on the networking events will be made available closer to the conference and may include a meet and greet at the welcoming event and a post-conference discussion.

This call is now closed.

As with previous SVRI Forums, the SVRI works hard to secure as much funding as possible to support attendance of delegates, prioritising low-and-middle income countries. Bursaries are aimed at broadening the participation of under-represented regions and under-represented groups particularly those representing key and vulnerable populations, young people, new and emerging researchers and students from LMICs to help them attend the conference.

SVRI Forum Open Bursaries are highly competitive and priority is given to people from LMICs presenting at the SVRI Forum 2019.

Types of Open Bursaries

• SVRI Forum 2019 programme: This bursary will prioritise abstract presenters from LMICs for oral and science pitch presentations.
• SVRI Forum 2019 by attendance: This bursary is for general delegates attending the Forum. Preference will be given to delegates contributing to the SVRI Forum 2019 programme.
• Topic specific: Donor specific funded bursaries for professionals working on a specific topic, for example, psychological violence/emotional abuse.

Please take note of the following expectations for bursary winners.

Before the SVRI Forum 2019:

1. Bursary recipients must have valid travel documents and are responsible for obtaining appropriate travel approvals to attend the conference.
2. A full bursary will cover economy flights to and from Cape Town, airport transfers in Cape Town, accommodation, and conference fees. It does not cover home-country transport, visa costs or a per diem. Partial bursaries can include registration only; accommodation and flights only; flights only or accommodation only.
3. Bursary recipients may be held liable for any/all expense incurred if awardee does not attend the conference. Cancellations must be communicated 1 month before the event to avoid liability costs.
4. Priority will be given to applicants from low- and middle-income countries who will not be able to otherwise attend the Forum.

During the SVRI Forum 2019:

6. Bursary recipients will be required to attend an opening meet and greet, and a post-conference discussion. More information will be provided by the conference organisers.
7. Bursary recipients will be required to act as SVRI Forum Ambassadors through live tweeting of sessions, and sharing posts and photos on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. A social media plan will be shared with you prior to the event.
8. Bursary recipients will be asked to provide a blog post of their learning and experience at the SVRI Forum 2019 and provide a short-written summary of one or two parallel sessions at the Forum. Forum organisers will communicate directly with you in this regard.
9. Bursary recipients will be required to attend one side event on Friday 25 October. Kindly ensure you RSVP to your preferred side event as space is limited.
10. Bursary recipients will receive Standards of Behaviour for the conference and will be expected to honour this.
11. The SVRI Forum organisers consider the safety and well-being of our bursary recipients a priority and regular debriefing will be organised. The Forum will offer delegates with spaces to reflect and referral services where needed. More information will be provided in information packs. Please also see our Wellbeing page for more information on counselling services at the Forum.