Help Ugandan Youth Earn Nursing Certifications

MAYANJA MEMORIAL HOSPITAL FOUNDATION (MMHF)

SCHOLARSHIP FUND FOR VULNERABLE YOUTH

GLOBAL GIVING DONOR REPORT

In 2010, the Mayanja Memorial Hospital Foundation (MMHF) established a scholarship fund to give orphans and vulnerable youth in southwestern Uganda an opportunity to obtain their nursing degrees and serve their communities with much-needed basic healthcare.  The Foundation is affiliated with the Mayanja Memorial Medical Training Institute (MMMTI), where scholarship recipients enroll in 2 or 3 year nursing programs.  Thanks to your support through Global Giving, the fund has received donations worth over USD 15,000.

SCHOLARSHIP FUND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

The Mayanja Memorial Scholarship Fund is managed by the following committee of staff and volunteers:

The Chairman                                                    Mr. Augustine Atwijukye

 Executive Director MMHF                           Dr. Benon Mugerwa

Consultant MMSF                                            Ms. Taara Chandani

Coordinator MMSF                                         Prof. Jerome Kabakyenga

Technical Person MMSF                                                Dr. Bernard Mayanja

General Secretary MMSF                             Ms. Annette Kyamugambi

The committee is charged with overall management of the fund, including defining selection criteria for students, reviewing applications, recommending renewal scholarships and reporting to donors.

SCHOLARSHIP QUALIFICATION CRITERIA

The committee established the following criteria to enable transparency and benefit the most deserving students. To qualify for a scholarship, a student must:

• Meet general admission requirements to MMMTI (provide evidence of an admission letter)
• Demonstrate above average academic standing
• Experience difficulty in paying tuition dues (with proof from MMMTI)
• Demonstrate vulnerability by one of the following:
  • Lost either or both parents to HIV/AIDS,
  • Is a refugee from a war-affected area,
  • Is from a hard-to-reach rural area
  • Previous schools
  • Community development officer at the sub-county level.

• Must produce a letter of recommendation from the following:
  • Local leader LC1,&3,

• Should pass Interviews
• The Scholarship Committee will carry out home visits to administer the interviews and verify the vulnerability status of applicants.
• If any information is found not to be true, the student is automatically disqualified from consideration.  

STATUS REPORT: JANUARY - MARCH 2011

The Executive Director, Dr. Benon Mugerwa, formally notified MMMTI about the scholarship opportunity available for students, and accompanied the letter with a public notice and copies of application forms.

A total of 46 students applied for a scholarship.  All applicants are enrolled at MMMTI and face some difficulty paying their tuition.  The Scholarship Committee selected 18 students to benefit from the first round of the scholarship. All recipients are either orphans or live in female-headed households, where their mothers are sick or earn below $1. 

While the remaining 28 students also demonstrated need, there were insufficient funds to provide them with any financial assistance at this time.

We urge you to spread the word about his important fund and help us raise additional funds!  We appreciate the major fund-raising milestones we have met so far and are grateful for all your support.

The remaining 28 qualified for the scholarship but funds dictated otherwise, this calls for more donations to enable more students certify as nurses.

• Status report (DOC)