Crespo Foundation

SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME FOR MIGRANTS

SABA BILDUNGSSTIPENDIUM (SABA EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP)

The SABA educational scholarship supports people who have experienced migration or displacement by providing empowering settings and financial resources, thereby enabling them to attain a school-leaving certificate as a mature student. This lets them plan out their career so they can look forward to the future they want to have

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SABA educational scholarships – Credit: Nina Werth

Why SABA?

Whether it’s because they can’t speak enough German or due to facing socio-economic barriers or discrimination: the people in our society who have experienced migration or displacement are particularly disadvantaged, especially if they don’t have an educational qualification that is recognised in Germany. That’s why the Crespo Foundation set up the SABA programme in 2006: SABA provides financial support, advice and further training – all measures that dismantle barriers to entry, counter discrimination and create space for personal development, qualifications and empowerment.

In September 2026, the Crespo Foundation will hand over full responsibility for running SABA to its long-standing partner, beramí berufliche Integration e.V.

For whom?
Adults who have experience of migration or displacement and would like to acquire a school-leaving qualification as a mature student.

Aim
To improve educational equality and vocational integration for migrants. 

Duration
A maximum of 3 years

Location
Rhine-Main region, and digitally throughout Germany

How SABA works

SABA supports and accompanies people who have experienced migration or displacement to achieve a school-leaving certificate as a mature student, through a process known as the ‘zweiter Bildungsweg’.

The support covers school and travel costs as well as a budget for additional tutoring, materials and childcare. Advice, coaching and workshops are also a key aspect of this programme, accompanying the participants through the scholarship.

What distinguishes SABA from other educational programmes:

  • Networking: the SABA community of scholarship holders and those helping them remains active after the qualification has been attained, enabling them to continue the dialogue and helping each other to progress.

  • Goal-oriented: The scholarship can be extended for up to three years so that participants gain the qualification they want.

  • Personal: One-to-one advice focuses on each participant as an individual.

  • Creative: Each year various creative SABA projects take place with artists.

‘SABA Mentoring’ supplementary programme

In the ‘SABA Mentoring’ programme we support SABA graduates in pursuing their careers after they have completed the educational scholarship. Volunteers mentor them through the first year of their apprenticeship or studies. The tandem relationship consolidates the participants’ recently acquired self-confidence.

SABA creative projects

Creative projects are at the heart of the SABA scholarship. In 2026, SABA’s annual creative project festival once again took place at Frankfurt LAB, presenting the artistic achievements of the SABA groups in the fields of dance, painting, textile art, graphic art & printmaking, and experimental improv choir. These works allow SABA scholarship holders to express their own strengths and the challenges they experienced, while also exploring the journeys they have taken and their outlooks for the future. 

SABA IN NUMBERS

2022

start of SABA programme for men and digital programmes

85

scholarships each year

235

school qualifications since 2006 

21

creative projects since 2006

45

countries of origin

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‘Learning about SABA was the turning point in my life! SABA empowered not only me but also my family, and it made me more self-confident.’

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Cemile ... qualified nurse, completed her school qualification through SABA and subsequently trained as a carer for the elderly with SABA mentoring.

‘SABA is a key that enables me to unlock the door to a better future. Since I’ve been a SABA scholarship holder I’ve had the feeling that I can do so much more than I would have imagined.’

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Maiara ... has received her secondary school certificate (Realschulabschluss) as a mature student and is currently training to be an educational support worker.

‘I like the fact that I can give my creativity a real boost. We learn how to make music, and I’ve realised that I’m surprisingly good at writing texts.’ 

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Kosta ... taking his secondary school certificate (Realschulabschluss) as a mature student.

OUR PARTNERS

The SABA educational scholarship is a programme run by the Crespo Foundation in cooperation with beramí berufliche Integration e.V. and with the support of Zonta Club Aschaffenburg and Clifford Chance Deutschland.

Contacts

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For women in the Rhine-Main region

Jennifer Mina
beramí e.V.

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For men in the Rhine-Main region

Anne Wolter
beramí e.V.

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For women throughout Germany

Sarah Schreiner
beramí e.V.

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For women in the Rhine-Main region

Cristina Valdivia
beramí e.V.