Trevor Pears receives honorary doctorate
June 17, 2011
Trevor Pears CMG, Executive Chair of Pears Foundation, has been awarded an honorary doctor of philosophy degree by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Hebrew University president, Professor Menahem Ben-Sasson said that the honorary doctorate is being awarded ”in recognition of his outstanding commitment to social justice and in tribute to his profound friendship for Israel and the Hebrew University.”
Over the past 7 years, Pears Foundation has become a strategic partner of the Hebrew University in harnessing Israeli knowledge and expertise to help address major challenges facing the developing world.
The Pears Scholars Programme has enabled dozens of students from Africa and Asia to attend the Hebrew University’s world-class international graduate programmes in public health and agriculture. The programmes’ alumni now hold senior positions across Africa and Asia, managing disaster relief and public health programmes and promoting agricultural development – equipped with the skills to combat some of their countries’ most pressing challenges. They include Dr Norbert Rakiro, who is now the assistant director of community health systems for Intrahealth International. Dr Rakiro says that the programme gave him the skills and knowledge to manage cholera and polio epidemics in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Southern India.
Pears Foundation is now providing another 48 scholarships over the next three years and is also investing in an alumni network that will provide ongoing support and follow-up to all graduates once they return to their home countries.
In addition, Pears Foundation has invested substantially in British-based development NGOs through programmes in Ghana, Honduras and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in an Israeli international development charity in Nepal as well as in research on the history and current position of Israel’s bilateral aid budget.
“I am privileged to accept this Award on behalf of my brothers, my family and my team at our foundation,” said Trevor Pears in response to the conferring of his honorary doctorate degree by the Hebrew University. “We are immensely proud to be involved with the Hebrew University and, in particular, these fantastic programmes.”
Hebrew University website