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YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Welcome again. 
In this second edition of our newsletter, we give you more info on our resident population.
We are also extremely proud of the achievements of all our residents.
For instance, Sastrika Anindita obtained her PhD last month. Read all about it below.
Combining studies with work is not always an easy thing to do. One of our students is willing to share his experiences on this matter with you.

Missed our first newsletter? You can consult it on our website.

Enjoy reading, Fanny
Who are the OBSG residents?
   
As OBSG is subsidized by the Belgian Ministry of Development Cooperation, we are only allowed to house students coming from 32 partner countries with whom Belgium has elaborated a Common Strategic Framework.
 
In practice, that means that our residents come from Asia, South America or Africa. At OBSG we have approx. 20 different nationalities. The top 5 countries are: Ethiopia, Indonesia, Rwanda, Kenya and The Philippines.
 
40% are Master students and 60% are PhD candidates.
38% of the students are female.
20% do not have a scholarship.
 
We also host couples and families in our 11 apartments.
The duration of a stay varies between 3 months and 4 years.
 
The average age of our students is higher than with Belgian students. For a Master student this means 29 years of age and a PhD student is 36 on average.
Most of them have already started their own family back home.
 
And in 1 thing they are all alike: they are all very smart and interesting people. Respect!
Congrats to our new Doctor in Bioscience Engineering,
Natural Resources, Sastrika Anindita.

Sastrika should be very proud of this achievement and she is a wonderful role model for many female students in Indonesia.

Research: Land use effects on geochemical properties and their control on soil organic matter in volcanic soils in Java, Indonesia

Click here for more details on her research.

In 2022, 10 OBSG residents finalised their PhD and 12 OBSG residents achieved their Master diploma.

Click here for more details on the achieved PhD’s in 2022.
 
Combining studies with work: not always an easy story.
No doubt that studying abroad is enriching and increases the employment opportunities of the students in their home countries.
What is often underestimated is the culture shock and the loneliness and homesickness that come with it.
And when a student has no or only a small scholarship, financial worries come on top of that. This group of students is forced to combine studying and working.
 
One of the requirements for VISA approval is that the student needs to prove that he is able to pay for his living costs (e.g. for food, rent, etc.). 3 options are available:
  • He receives a scholarship;
  • He opens a blocked account at UGent:
    • Meaning that he needs to deposit an amount of money into a UGent bank account before the start of the study program. UGent unblocks part of that amount on a monthly basis (In 2022 this represents €950/month).
  • Or he has a guarantor who makes a commitment towards sponsorship:
    • Meaning a family member or friend declares he will pay a monthly amount to the student. But in reality this is more a promise than a practice.
In 2022, 20% of the OBSG residents did not have a scholarship.

Testimonial from a Master student who receives a limited scholarship. 
“As I only have a small scholarship, I’m facing financial challenges like paying my rental fee as well as needs like food.
 
This situation has pushed me to look for a student job, which is not an easy task, as most of the companies only want to employ students who work at least two days a week. In addition the chances of getting those jobs is low because of language preferences (Dutch speaking is preferred). The type of jobs that I am eligible for are in a warehouse, which need a lot of energy and are masculine type of jobs. While the challenge of looking for a job is frustrating, I also need to manage the timetables of my classes. It is very difficult because I need to spend time both on studying and filling in a student job. And it is even more difficult and challenging during exams period. I really get stressed by combining these two things.
 
This stress has a negative impact on my studies. Because the kind of jobs that I do are manual and energy consuming, so after 8 hours of working I find myself tired and I cannot concentrate fully on my studies.
Therefore during the time of exams, I had to stop working but I was supposed to pay the rental fee and that was a really hard time to think and manage the situation. 
 
Also, I find it difficult to share my worries with other people, like fellow students or people back home. I feel ashamed to explain my financial challenge because most people back home assume that having a scholarship - regardless of the amount - is equivalent to having enough money. With this fearful feeling I end up struggling by myself to fix it.
 
I really thank OBSG because they are helping me with the food parcels, which in some ways reduces the effects of my stress.”
Student from Tanzania, following the Master course of Science in Nutrition and Rural Development, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering at Ghent University
 
Students are often ashamed to share their – financial - worries with friends or family back home.
At OBSG we understand this situation and if needed we are flexible with the due date of the rent.

In some cases and thanks to many gifts to our social fund, we can occasionally take over the rent and by doing this give them some breathing space.
The gratitude of these students is very high. 
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OBSG · Kortrijksesteenweg 500 · Gent 9000 · Belgium

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