My name is Lupyana Kinyamagoha. I am 22 years old male Tanzanian from Tunduma. I am a second born from a family with two children, both boys. Currently, I am a second year student at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University. Before joining Hubert Kairuki Memorial University, I acquired my primary education at Tunduma Primary School, my ordinary level education at Pandahill Secondary School and my advanced-level education at Mzumbe Secondary School.
I chose to study medicine and in future to become a doctor because it hurts seeing sick people lacking help, care and proper treatments from qualified medical personnel in our country since there are few doctors to accommodate the number of patients. I want to be a part of teams that help to improve provision of health services in Tanzania and other countries.
The “Team Tanzanian Scholar Award” was a surprise to me and I was very happy when I received the news. The award will help to cover some of my academic costs like buying stationeries, books and medical equipments required.
The “Team Tanzanian Scholar Award” is a great motivation to the students. The selection the students to be awarded are perfectly fair since it is based on academic achievements of the student. It is important to keep this custom of awarding students who performed well so as to motivate other students.
After graduating, I would like to practice medicine for some time to gain experience before joining post-graduate studies. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the people who donated for these awards and to the organizers of Maendeleo. It is motivating and helpful to students who received it.
I personally am motivated. Thank you.
My name is Nuwayl
, now 22 years old, coming from Dares Salaam, Tanzania. I was born and raised in Dar es Salaam and lived my whole life over here. I am the second born child in a family of 5 children, 3 brothers and one sister. I started off my nursery school education at the age of 3 years old at Al Irshad Nursery School then later on shifted to Memon Day Care Centre. In the year 2001 I started my primary school education at Lumumba Primary School, till the third grade, where I shifted to Yemeni English Medium Primary School until the 7th grade. I did both my Ordinary and advanced level education at Almuntazir Islamic Seminary where the whole syllabus was Cambridge based. Being among the first few batches doing that course was very challenging but I am so glad that we managed to handle it well and having good grades to actually take up a medical course.
I cannot say I was among those people who knew since they were kids that they wanted to pursue a medical career, no that wasn’t me. I really didn’t know what I wanted to be. In form 2 we were asked if we wanted to take up science subjects or arts, and I decided I wanted to take up science because that is what I was good at. At the same time I said, I don’t need to decide now, when it’s the right time, I will find my way around. During A level studies I just found myself enjoying doing more of biology than mathematics so I was like yeah, I think I want to do something in the field of medicine. That’s when I realized that I needed to make a decision and found myself being more interested in being a doctor more than anything and just wanted to help people around me, especially my family.
Being among the few privileged students who actually got the award has made me so happy. I can’t thank God enough. I really didn’t think I could survive medicine let alone actually manage to get this award, because I remember in the first year as a medical student, I was dealing with the stress, getting Cs in almost all subjects and I just kept on telling myself, maybe it’s because I am used to the Cambridge syllabus that’s why I am having a hard time coping with the change in the syllabus. But now I realize it was just something I used to tell myself to feel better. I am more than honored and blessed to have received this award, and my whole family is proud of me especially my parents and I feel blessed. This award has honestly motivated me a lot to work harder and I know it has definitely motivated my brother who keeps on saying “I want to be as good as Nuwayla when I grow up” and that’s a great feeling, for someone to actually look up to you and want to be like you.
If I were asked on what should be changed in this award, honestly I don’t think there should be any changes. This award has motivated me so I’m sure it will also make other awardees of this award to feel blessed. The only thing that can be changed is make people more aware of this award. I myself didn’t know much about it until I got it myself.
There were many challenges that I honestly had to face since I started Hubert Kairuki Memorial University. Firstly it was on MD1 where the hours were so long that by the end of the day, you don’t even have the energy to study. We had classes from 6am in the morning till, 8pm in the evening and for me, it was very hard to handle and cope with that busy life. But I thank God I survived. From there onwards I think I can say that I have pretty much handled it well.
I guess after I finish medical school I have to do internship, hopefully at a great hospital where I will be able to learn a lot of new things and take up new experiences. I am currently very interested in doing something in the pediatrics department, but God knows where the wind will take me. I would like to keep an open mind though, who knows what I will want later after I finish internship.
Last but not least I would like to extend my biggest gratitude to the organizers of this award. I personally was very motivated when I got this award and I know I will keep this great memory and one day tell my children and I am sure that they will be proud that their mother was once a part of this experience. Thank you all for this great opportunity. I am truly honored. Team Maendeleo Scholar award has made me believe that I can achieve even greater things in life and I feel like I am ready to take up more challenges in life.
My name is Thureiya Mbarouk Khalid, a fourth year student at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University. I was born in Zanzibar. I am the second born in a family of four children. I did my primary education at Zanzibar Progressive School and my Ordinary-level education at Kirinijiko Islamic Secondary School; I finished High School at Baobab Girl’s Secondary School. In 2014 I then joined the MD programme at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University.
My decision to do medicine was based on how I was inspired by doctors in saving people’s lives. I had this noble dream since my childhood. I studied harder and passionately to attain great results and proceeded to join Hubert Kairuki Memorial University to achieve my goal. Also the few medical personnel available in our country in different fields.
I was so amazed and excited upon receiving the “Team Tanzania scholar award”. Truly it’s a great achievement to me and my family. This award encouraged me to work harder and uplifted my confidence in this field of medicine.
The selection of the award is good so far, although it could have been better if there could be also a selection of the best medical student among all universities. This could help students to strive more for better.
Studying at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University is not an easy task at first. Adjusting to a new environment with different people from different places was a little bit challenging to me during my first year. Also the little access to textbooks in some courses made studying difficult somehow. All in all, the passion and love I had for medicine made me go on and on.
As for now I have many preferences on what to do after I graduate from medical school. Medicine has got a lot of interesting fields that make it difficult for me to decide for now, although some are in my mind like gynaecology and cardiology.
Finally, I would like to extend my eternal gratitude to the founders and organizers of “Team Tanzania Scholar Award”, keep on with the good work of supporting and encouraging upcoming medical doctors.
My name is Beata Nyangoma Mushema, a student of medicine at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University. I was born in northern Tanzania to parents who were already in the medical field as a doctor and nurse. Being born into a medical-oriented family that valued the pursuit of education, I was constantly surrounded by clinical jargon and would marvel at how my parents would discuss their day at the hospital with such passion. It was therefore a no-brainer whenever I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up- a doctor. I have long been fascinated with how the human body works, its intricacies and how every part from the brain to the smallest cell work in unison to bring a person’s action, thoughts and emotions to light.
After completing my primary and secondary education in Botswana, I set off to pursue a career in medicine and joined Hubert Kairuki Memorial University in 2011 as a first year medical student.
When I learnt that I was a recipient of the “Team Tanzania Scholar Award” for my final year of studies, I was overjoyed as it was a much needed verification of the path I had chosen to pursue and I was motivated to keep striving for bigger and better things and hopefully leave a mark on this world for the betterment of people.
To improve the selection and presentation of the “Team Tanzania Scholar Awards” I would recommend the following:
- Utilizing online media to promote the “Team Tanzania Scholar Award” brand not only to medical students but branching out to secondary school students to motivate them to pursue careers in health and sciences.
- Forming “Team Tanzania Scholar Award” ambassadors comprising of former recipients of the award to go into communities and inspire the youth (especially young girls) to persevere and always strive for better education.
While studying at Hubert Kairuki Memorial University was a richly rewarding experience, there was one particular challenge:
- Lack of sufficient student exchange programs with universities in other countries that would have exposed students like me to the field and practice of medicine beyond our country and spark innovative ideas that would be used to better improve the state of our healthcare system.
Since graduating last year, I have been undergoing my internship training at Muhimbili National Hospital; I co-founded a non-profit organization called Doctors’ Foundation for New Life that focuses on improving adolescent, maternal and child health in the country; I also became an American Heart Association certified life support instructor, providing BLS courses among others, to health professionals and medical student to help strengthen the field of emergency medicine in Tanzania; I will also be pursuing a Masters course in program management, monitoring and evaluation in health at Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences.
I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to every individual who donated to “Maendeleo” and made “Team Tanzania Scholar Award” a possibility. The award has and will go on to help many medical students pursue their dreams and will continue to serve as a source of inspiration to anyone already in medicine for many years or at the infancy stages. By giving back, you have created a ripple effect that will impact the lives of many more and leave a legacy for generations to come. Asante!