Why Scholarship Funds are needed...

This past week began the registration process for the students at Africa University for the 2nd semester classes and for many it is always a tense time waiting to learn whether or not they have been successful in getting any scholarship money.  

Facebook notes have been coming in...this is the way most of the students communicate because they have phones that  will handle messages but do not have continual  internet  to support email.   One student Landry, from DRC, indicates he was granted enough money for tuition and a place to stay but no meal package which was a big relief for him because at first he was not on the "list" at all.  For me the no meals is a concern.   

Robinah indicated that she was not on the "list" and panicked.   She's a mother of 2 and nearly 30 years old from Uganda and in her last semester.   Since she was a recipient (or had been) of one of the Indiana scholarships, we had some leverage to help this women be reinstated.   Indiana Friends of  Africa University are usually in touch with the students and the role of advocacy is an easy one.   These students have established a relationship with our 'Friends'.  All is well as of yesterday with her.  

Mukendi (from DRC) has just one semester to go.   He had worked hard and found a way to pay his own fees for Semester 1.  Now has nothing remaining to cover the fees for semester 2.  He too is very concerned as he's almost complete and all support is gone.   We are still working on his case.  It will take about $2500 for this semester if no scholarship is offered.   No easy solutions.

 

Our Christmas Eve offering and other funds ($8077) will be soon be invested in an endowment fund for additional scholarships from Indiana.   There is never enough money to go around.   The need is HUGE and the dollars are never enough.   Partial scholarships are becoming the way to go to spread around the funds to more students.   Sometimes this is a real strain and stress on the students if they have no possibility for support from family.  They are willing to go without food and find scraps somewhere but it is a real hardship not to have a place to stay and a dream dasher not to get tuition support. 

 

Please left up all of the students at Africa University as they all begin another semester which will hopefully lead to keeping their dream alive.