Our scholarship initiative is aimed at extending a lifeline to students and their parents hailing from the neediest families, in our groups and at times in the communities. Through the years students burdened by the weight of family destitution, those born into poverty, others with absentee parents, or in child-headed families have benefitted. The Education program has changed their story to give it a happy ending.
In Bukoba, Tanzania, our partner Bukoba Womens Empowerment Association (BUWEA) reports that the governments, policy to privatize higher education has ensured there are enough schools for the students to attend, but it has also created a tough barricade for poor students- that of school fees and associated costs.
Amidst these challenges emerged a tale of transformation, a narrative woven around one of the program’s beneficiaries. Her name is Dalia Rweyemamu, a spirited soul aged 22, who had carved her path through the tangled corridors of education but had stopped when her widowed mother could not support her dream of going to medical school. Today Dalia is now a Clinical Officer. Every passing year, the sum of $1,480 (equivalent to Tsh 3,404,000) was paid from the scholarship fund, a lifeline that sustained her ambitions. Over the course of those formative years, a total of $4,440 USD (Tsh 10,212,000) was dedicated to safeguarding her dreams. Dalia’s mother, became a stalwart pillar, contributing what she could from her vending business to meet the incidental expenses: stationery, transportation, medical bills, and the many other costs to make her daughter’s dream come true.
In a moment of reflection after her graduation, Dalia gave us an emotional call saying; “With unwavering appreciation, “I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the scholarship project that cradled me from the beginning of my medical school journey till its conclusion. The road was costly, but now I stand here my dreams fulfilled—a doctor- ready to help and support our communities.”
Dalia’s journey, an ode to resilience and fortitude, shows the transformative power of education when kind hearts converge to lend a helping hand.