We're delighted to share that three of the students supported by EMMS International in Malawi, Olivetta Chitanje, Memory Chisoni, and Ketrina Gama, have completed their studies at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences and are now qualified doctors. Thanks to the £3,000 generously granted by the Anchor Foundation, we were able to step in to cover the college fees when the students' funding from a private donor fell through.
We will now work with our partners to support these young students to transition into employment as doctors, using our unique knowledge of the country’s healthcare sector gained from our previous UK Aid Match project Chifundo, which brought palliative care countrywide to Malawi.
Olivetta comes from a small village in Lilongwe and paying education fees had been extremely difficult. She says:
"I had always come to believe that the sky is the limit, that I could do and achieve great things in life, but some ups and downs over the years made me realise other things can define your potential. I am glad to say that EMMS International gave me hope for the future and an opportunity to obtain my dreams. Growing up, I had always wanted to be a doctor and work in the most rural parts of Malawi in order to help the improvement of the health system in such areas."
Many, many congratulations to Doctors Chitanje, Chisoni and Gama. We can't wait to hear about your work, and the successes of colleagues who are also studying at Kamuzu University of Health Sciences.