Congratulations to the 8 new Watipa scholars! Earlier this month, on International Human Rights Day, we had the great pleasure in awarding 8 new Watipa scholarships to seven young women and a young man from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia. They join an esteemed group of peers who we are continuing to support again this year.

Ghana

• Yakub Bionbaala Jalil  – Business Studies
• A young lady who wishes to remain anonymous – Mathematics

Zambia

• Prudence Kachakwale – Sociology of Education
• Sekai Zulu – Mass Communication and Development Studies

Kenya

• Ann Joy Wangechi – Project Planning and Management
• Emmadine Achieng Otieno  – Secondary Education

Malawi

• Flossie Kaludzu – Bachelor of Science in Nutrition and Food Science
• Ireen Chitenjere – Gender Development

Congratulations! In a snapshot, in 2018, Watipa is supporting tuition fees and living expenses for 38 students in total (23 young women and 15 young men). The average age of the current Watipa scholars is 21, ranging from 17 – 24 years of age.

The Watipa scholarship awards have been given annually since 2016 as part of the global celebration for International Human Rights Day. International Human Rights Day celebrates and spotlights a universal set of human rights that were determined by the United Nations on the 10^thof December 1948. The Watipa scholarships are a contribution towards realising the right to education.

Scholarship winner, Ireen Chitenjere, studying Gender Development in Malawi describes her gratitude at being selected for the scholarship:

“I am a young lady aged 20. I come from a family of six and am the third born. In my family I am the first girl to get to university. Many people tried to discourage me [by saying] that college it’s only for rich people, but I always dreamed of becoming a graduate. Despite being discouraged, I never gave up because I have a dream and I want to see it coming true. I am happy to be offered this scholarship by Watipa to further my studies by completing a BSc in Gender and Development. Thanks for giving me this scholarship. I see myself becoming a great gender activist who would change my community in all gender issues that are affecting girls, women, youth, elderly, and children.”

Watipa is proud to be supporting these inspirational young people. The criteria for selection for a Watipa scholarship is need, being under the age of 25, living and studying in a developing country, and having the desire and intention to use the benefits of education for local community development. Each of the Watipa scholars were selected because they met this criteria, and they show a strong vision for how they will share the benefits they will gain from their education by demonstrating leadership in their communities.

Another 2018 Watipa scholarship winner, Ann Joy Wangechi said“I am honoured to be among the recipients of the Watipa scholarship. The scholarship is the beginning of me achieving my dreams. With this, I will continue with my studies, as this will be the only way for me to bring a positive change in my community. In future I want to be a young woman head of programs, an advocate for young girls and a women representative in decision making chambers. I’ve got to be sure of my responsibilities in representing my society and make sure I give back to the community I live in.” Ann Joy will be receiving her scholarship for studying Project Planning and Management in Kenya.

The Scholarship Review Group had a very tough time in making the selection. As with the previous 3 years, the demand for scholarships far exceeded the number of scholarships that Watipa has been able to award. “We each personally struggled with choosing the most deserved from such a large number of high-quality applicants,” said one of the reviewers.

With your help, we hope that the Watipa scholarship and youth development program will continue to grow so that in the future no individual should be without their human right to education because of their financial circumstances.

Sam Mudie