Christopher Dowswell Scholarship Fund

When Naomi arrived in eastern Tanzania, she had one goal in her mind: to improve her professional skills.

Following Tanzania’s general presidential election in November 2015, she had left Babati in northern Tanzania, where she worked as a livestock officer. She traveled south to Morogoro, joining the Applied Agricultural Extension program at Sokoine University of Agriculture, a mid-career degree program for extension professionals.

Being female, in a new town, without any financial support except her salary, Naomi had a number of economic difficulties in her first year of studies.

“This was one of the most challenging times for me,” Naomi said. “I had no financial support. However, this did not make me lose focus. With my feet stepping on economic challenges, my mind was sharply focused on my original goal, to improve my professional skills.”

Yet it wasn’t easy. She devoted much of her time to earning enough money to live on and support her studies. An effort that was ultimately unsustainable. During her second year of study, however, Naomi received a welcome piece of news. She was awarded the Christopher Dowswell Scholarship, which covered her tuition, research, living expenses and equipment such as a computer. The scholarship enabled her to focus on learning, without the pressure of also providing for herself.

“I just cannot express my joy and gratitude for this scholarship,” Naomi said.

With the help of the scholarship and a clear goal in mind, Naomi emerged as the top student in a class of 96, earning an average GPA of 4.1 (out of five) during her three years at SUA. Last November, Naomi graduated with 77 other students. With the help of the Christopher Dowswell scholarship, she completed her goal of improving her professional skills.

“This scholarship made my dream to come true,” she said. 

Links:

• Christopher Dowswell Scholarship Fund