Education Fund - Uganda

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The Mayanja Memorial Scholarship Fund is a scholarship programme administered by the Mayanja Memorial Hospital Foundation (MMHF), a non-governmental organisation affiliated with the Mayanja Memorial Hospital in Mbarara, Uganda. The MMHF conceived of the scholarship as a solution to two equally pressing challenges facing local communities: the lack of trained medical professionals, especially “front-line” nurses, and the presence of a large number of vulnerable youths, many of them HIV orphans or war refugees.

In order to address both challenges, the MMHF works with surrounding communities to identify at-risk youths with academic and professional potential, who are subsequently provided with up to 100% funding for a two-year nursing programme at Majanja Memorial Medical Training Institute, a subsidiary of the Majanja Memorial Hospital. Funding covers both tuition and living expenses.

Upon completion of the programme, graduates have much improved prospects for finding employment and improving the standard of living for themselves and their families. Due to the lack of trained medical professionals in the region, their skills are in high demand – according to the MMHF, the area is the fastest growing sector in the Ugandan medical industry. And by meeting the needs of local communities, graduates also contribute to the physical and social welfare of the regional population. In this way, the Majanja Memorial Scholarship Fund employs education to align the needs of disadvantaged local youth with the demands of their society, helping to resolve two urgent problems.

In recognition of this creative yet practical use of education, the ICEF Education Fund donated US$ 1 500 which funded one student for a year at nursing school - half their complete programme of study. We urge our community to consider matching our contribution: every donation brings a student one step closer to a complete education and a better life.