(CAPTION) Diana Sosoka and Nadhra Mresa (All photos: Daniel Mbega of MaendeleoVijijini Blog)
By Daniel Mbega of MaendeleoVijijini Blog
Dar
es Salaam: THE Karimjee Jivanjee Foundation (KJF) has rewarded Diana
Sosoka and Nadhra Mresa from Mtwara Girls Secondary School for being
overall winners of the Young Scientists Tanzania (YST) Awards in 2016.
Speaking
at a press event to send off the winners to Dublin, Ireland, the KJF
Team said the winners would receive scholarship from the foundation to
study at any local university when they complete their high school
education.
They both take a combination of Chemistry, Biology and Geography and aspire to be medical doctors.
The
students are travelling to Dublin today to attend the BT Young
Scientists and Technology Exhibition, an Irish annual school students’
science competition, which aims at encouraging interest in science in
primary, and secondary schools.
Speaking at the event, the
students thanked their school teacher, Mr. Rashid Namila their Biology
teacher, whom they said has been a fundamental to their success. They
also thanked the YST, led by Dr. Gozbrt Kamugisha, and the KJF for
making their dreams come true.
“Our innovation was based on a
locally made incubator to help the women around our school to raise
chicken after seeing them come to our school every day to seek for
leftovers sue to the poverty situation that has engulfed them,” they
said, adding that their technology has inspired various people around
Mtwara and across the country to go and learn.
Ms. Eliavera
Timoth, the Foundation’s Deputy Marketing Manager, speaking on behalf of
KJF Manager Ms. Devota Rubama, said KJF was a non-governmental
organization that was registered in 2009 and commenced its operation in
2010 with commitment to support the Tanzanian community, specifically
improving education sector.
“The education sector is the core
charity notably by providing scholarships to young Tanzanians to be able
to accomplish their studies at university level,” she was quoted as
saying, adding that the scholarships were provided to students under the
category of science in an effort to join hands with to government
initiatives, targeting on encouraging students to pursue science
subjects.
“We are eager to ecourage and support Tanzania young
students to be able to develop various innovative skills through science
for the betterment of the nation,” she said.
Speaking of the YST
scholarships, Ms. Eliavera said since 2012 the Foundation has provided
17 scholarships to students in the categories of overall winners and
winners in special school in need.
“Every year KJF provide 4
schholarships to winner of YST awards to study at university level. We
have already provided scholarships to students from Kibosho Secondary
School (2012 – 3 scholarships overall winners); Ilongelo Secondary
School of Singida (2013 – 2 overall winners scholarships); and Fidel
Castro –Pemba (2013 – 2 special school in need scholarships),” Ms.
Eliavera said.
Other scholarships were Lumumba Secondary
School – Zanzibar (2014 – 2 overall winners); Ngongo Secondary School –
Lindi (2014 – 2 special school in need scholarships); Mzumbe Secondary
School – Morogoro (2015 – 2 overall winners); Nasa Secondary School –
Simiyu (2015 – 2 special school in need); Mtwara Girls (2016 – 2 overall
winners); and Binza Secondary School – Simiyu (2016 – 2 special school
in need scholarships).
However, Ms. Eliavera said, KJF is
planning to launch a dual Masters’ degree in African Cinservation at the
University of Glasgow, Scotland and Nelson Mandela University – Afican
Institution of Science and Technology in Arusha.
The
programme, according to her, is for two years and KJF will provide three
scholarships for students to study two terms at Glasgow University and
eight terms at Nelson Mandela University.
“The Foundation has
been giving scholarships to Doctors to graduate for a Masters’ degree
programme in Paediatric Oncology at Muhimbili University of Health and
Alllied Sciences (Muhas), two doctors graduated in 2015 and one in
2016,” Ms. Eliavera said.
The Honorary Chairman of Karimjee
Jivanjee Group of Companies in Tanzania, Hatim Karimjee said: “We are
very honoured to support the Young Scientists Tanzania Award because we
believe that education is very important to the future development of
Tanzania, and also because science education in particular can open
opportunities for higher level career development.”
KJF is the primary vehicle for the Karimjee family’s charitable work.
The mission of the Foundation is to invest in education as a means to enhance the economic development of Tanzania.
At
present, many young Tanzanians continue to benefit from scholarships
from KJF, which enable them to follow their dreams and to make a greater
contribution to Tanzania as a result of their education.
In
addition to these scholarships, the Foundation also supports Read
International and others; works with Wonder Workshop and is working to
boost the capacity for management of pediatric oncology in Tanzania.
Hatim
Karimjee said, although KJF’s main focus at the moment is funding
educational institutions to improve education capacity, the Karimjee
family established several charitable trusts in the 1950’s before
independence.
“We have built many schools, hospitals,
dispensaries, mosques and community centres. The most famous of our
donations is the Karimjee Hall. We built and donated this building to
the Dar es Salaam Municipal Council in 1957 as a Town Hall. It was later
adapted to become the official seat of Parliament. Independence was
declared in Karimjee Hall on 9th December 1961,” he said.
Other
important donations by the Karimjee family have been the Usagara
Secondary School in Tanga (Formerly Karimjee Secondary School), the
Karimjee Clin in Mnazi Mmoja – Dar es Salaam, the old Karimjee Hospital
in Zanzibar and the recent donation of 100 desks to Mkwakwani Secondary
School in Tanga, a donation that was made to support the Government’s
effort to offset the existing countrywide shortage of desks in primary
and secondary schools.
The Karimjee Jivanjee Foundation is
funded by donations from Toyota Tanzania, one of Tanzania’s biggest and
compliant taxpayers, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary as the
sole and authorized Toyota distributor in Tanzania since 1965.
(Prepared by www.maendeleovijijini.blogspot.com)
Diana and her father, Sosoka Paul
Young Scientists Tanzania (YST) Executive Director, Dr Gozbert Kamugisha
Dr Kamugisha with scholarshipsDiana Sosoka, Nadhra Mresa and their teacher Mr Rashid Namila.
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