Meet Pambi

Pambi is a student at Africa University right now.  She is youngest of 5 children.  Her parents are very active in the Methodist Church in Nigeria. Her story (as well as her family's story) and her passion for an education is inspiring.   Pambi is one of the students who came to Africa University with just enough funds to cover one semester... she (and her family) had hopes of getting a scholarship the 2nd semester.   After registration began, she realized that a scholarship was not coming through.   Long story short, her dad sold more land, Valparaiso 1st UMW provided $1,000 and private donations made up the balance for the semester.   Her first semester this year, she had a scholarship for all but $400.   Other than causing a bit of panic at the beginning of the year, she was able to register and it seems that others have come up with the balance.   Now she waits again to see if  she has a scholarship for 2nd semester.  

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity; I am much honored to be the recipient of this scholarship. Growing up in a less privileged community where life is so expensive to live, has not only offered financial and academic challenges, but has also helped me realize the value of a college education.

I am currently a second year student in the faculty of humanities and social sciences majoring in psychology, and my GPA is 3.05. My plans at this stage are to complete a major in psychology. AU offers one of the finest programs and I consider myself fortunate to be able to attend.

Working as a volunteer in my community throughout my high school career, I enjoyed helping people learn about community services available to them. I hope to be able to serve in a psychologist position sometime in the future, where I might have even more of an ability to help less fortunate and underrepresented social groups. My educational pursuits would not be possible without generous support from scholarship sponsors like your organization. Thank you for enabling this opportunity. 

Making a difference after AU...

Hazvinei Jongi (2004 AU Graduate) and Della Bozarth

  Hazvinei visited us in 2012 before traveling to Lexington, KY to begin her doctorate studies in Public Health at the University of Kentucky.   She graduated from Africa University in the spring of 2004.   Struggling to find any kind of job, she worked enough to get funds together to get a Master's Degree in Public Health at Africa University.   She's an excellent student but she still could not get a job.   Keep in mind by now it is 2007 and that is when the bottom fell out of the Zimbabwe economy.   

In 2008 she landed a "volunteer" position with the United Nations in Darfur.   DARFUR!!!   That seemed like going from bad to maybe worse.   She was thrilled to have a job that actually paid wages even though it was called a "volunteer" position.   The wages were enough that she could continue to support her family back in Zimbabwe.   She provides support for her mother and sister and her nieces and nephews.  

In 2011 she met our mission team on their visit to the campus of Africa University.   What a joy it was to have her travel with us and volunteer and guide us as we visited her country.   While on campus the head of the Public Health faculty invited her in his office to talk about moving forward with her education and finding a doctorate program.   He made some connections, she worked on the application process,  and before long she had been accepted into the Public Health doctoral program at U of K.   She took 36 hours of course work that year and earned only A's and B's.   At the end of the school year, she went back to Zimbabwe to do some research for her doctoral thesis.  While there she realized what a sacrifice her family had to endure while she was away at school and unable to send support funds.  She was contacted again by the United Nations and she felt she needed to return to work so that her mother and sister's family would suffer no more.  Her doctoral degree is in limbo because she has many others to think about in the decisions she makes.   (This is true of most of the undergraduates and graduates that we have come to know and love.)  

While a Doctorate would be helpful to her, she's doing amazing work again in Darfur.  She is working to educate police and military on women's issues pertaining to violence against women.  She works with the women's prisons and gives lectures as far away as Rome on the issues of violence against women.  

Hazvinei would not be where she is today without a scholarship from Africa University.  She not only work hard to support her extended family but she is a champion for women all over Africa.  She wants to teach at Africa University one day but because the pay is so low she knows that she will need to have another job part of the year to be able to do all she does for her family.  One day Hazvinei will be a professor at this fine university but until that time, she will be changing lives wherever she works.   Please lift up Hazvinei in prayer as she continues to make a difference in the world. 

 

The Dream is Alive at Africa University

The garden has changed between 2000 and 2011 but the message is clear.
Somewhere in the photo stacks I have a hard copy of what was there
when our team was there in 2000. 

Yes the dream is alive for all of the students at Africa University. Each and every one of these students know that without at least a Master's Degree the door to employment will not be open to them so these are serious students.  

 

The Chapel which was built by one Korean Methodist Church
in 1999.   Focal point for all who come to the university.

 

 

When we first visited the campus of AU, I couldn't believe so much had been done in such a short time.  As I walked the grounds of this university, I knew that this very similar to Valparaiso University in many ways.   The focal point of both campuses is the inspiring chapel sitting at the welcoming point for all to see as they enter the campus.   Another similarity was the emphasis on being an international university.   From the very beginning Africa University aspired to be a gathering place for the best and brightest on the continent of Africa to encourage common solutions to the problems that face the African people.   Each year this university is home to about 1450 students from 25 different African nations. 

 

In the beginning (at the 1988 General Conference) our denomination voted to support the construction and underwriting of the construction and day to day operation of this university.   Each member of the United Methodist Church has provided less than 30 cents per year for the past 26 years to take a grass hut and old farm buildings and make it into a modern university.  

So back in 1998, tears filled my eyes most of the time we were there.  How humbling it was to have such a fine institution in such a short time.   This is something that one church could not do, no one country,... it took the denomination to pull together to make it happen.   Our connectional church came alive for me in July 1998 and since that time, the university has never been far from my heart and mind. 

This month we are focusing on the university not only to raise some much needed funds to endow additional student scholarships and the chair of the Agriculture Department but to let a new generation know about this fabulous example of grabbing a vision and putting our hands together to make it happen.    

Followup on GIving Tuesday

 

United Methodists once again responded with extravagant generosity on UMC #GivingTuesday. On December 2, 2014, more than $2.5 million was donated online through The Advance to support mission and ministries around the world. The denomination’s General Board of Global Ministries matched the first $1 million in gifts to help build excitement and leverage donations. More than 770 projects and missionaries received more 8,700 gifts through UMC #GivingTuesday. The response was global with donors from 25 countries giving generously. The Advance is the designated giving channel of the United Methodist Church. 
Giving back for all that we have received was a great way to spend a Tuesday.  A final report of the giving through the UM Advance program will be published on December 15.   If you are interested, come back to the blog and there will be a link to the report for your convenience.