Four University of Birmingham academics awarded UKRI Future Leaders Scholarships

Dr. Sandra Pertek is a postdoctoral fellow at the International Migration and Superdiversity Research Institute and the School of Government. She was awarded £1.2m for her ‘Making Aid Work for Displaced Women’ project. The project will start in September 2024 and last four years. Dr Pertek will work in Bangladesh, Kenya, Turkey and the UK to research and explore ways in which the principles of Islamic Philanthropy (ISP) can be leveraged to improve humanitarian aid work for displaced women. Her project involves a research team and several humanitarian, technical and academic partners, including leading charities and a multilateral development bank.

Dr Pertek said: “With the number of refugees increasing annually due to armed conflict and climate change, the need for humanitarian aid including has increased in recent years and it is estimated that over half of the world’s forcibly displaced people are hosted by Muslims. majority countries. Despite this, the principles of Islamic philanthropy such as zakat (obliged by charity), Sadaqah (voluntary charity) and waqf (endowment) have received little attention with regard to their use in supporting women who become forcibly displaced and therefore do not integrate into the political and humanitarian discourse. I am delighted to become a Future Leadership Fellow and look forward to beginning this urgent policy-oriented research, engaging with policy makers and practitioners.”