The legacy of Gina and Alexander Dimant, Holocaust survivors and co-founders of the Janusz Korczak Association of Canada, will live on through a newly established scholarship fund at the University of British Columbia. Gina, who passed away in July 2024, was a long time treasurer and a driving force behind the Association’s mission to promote the rights and well-being of children in Canada and around the world.

In honour of their life and work, scholarships totalling $1,750 have been created through an endowment led by a fundraising campaign initiated by the Janusz Korczak Association of Canada. The fund will support outstanding graduate students in UBC’s Faculty of Education whose research focuses on children’s rights or Canadian Indigenous education in the field of early childhood education. Preference will be given to First Nations, Inuit, or Métis students.

The endowment was made possible through a $50,000 contribution by Dov and Sally Dimant in memory of their grandparents, Alexander (1922–1998) and Gina (1926–2024) Dimant, both Holocaust survivors and key figures in the founding of the Janusz Korczak Association of Canada. Gina Dimant, in particular, is remembered not only for her financial stewardship of the Association but also for her passionate advocacy for children’s rights, mirroring the work of Korczak himself.

Janusz Korczak, a Polish-Jewish educator and pediatrician, was a pioneer in child advocacy. His ideas laid the groundwork for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1959. The newly established scholarship fund will carry his name in perpetuity at UBC, ensuring that his and Dimants’s shared vision for children’s dignity and justice continues to inspire future generations.

The first award will be available for the 2025/2026 winter session, with recipients recommended by the Faculty of Education in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

This meaningful initiative stands as a lasting tribute to Gina and Alexander Dimant’s dedication and to the enduring power of advocacy rooted in compassion, resilience, and hope.