1) To develop and manage a scholarship program for young women with great financial need who are enrolled in a Diploma Nursing Program in Tanzania.
2) To assist young women in their pursuit of an education in nursing that will allow them to break the cycle of poverty, attain a profession and gain dignity and self-respect, so that they may become contributing members of their community. Upon graduating and passing the national examination, these young women receive professional designations as registered nurses and registered midwives.
3) To solicit donations in support of the nursing students we sponsor.
HOW WE STARTED
In March of 2007 Linda van Werkhooven RN, Gail Roberts RN, and Wendy Tryon RN went on a safari trip to Tanzania. They loved the country and the people they met. They also observed the level of poverty, shortage of medical services and, in particular, the shortage of nurses. They learned that many young women were interested in furthering their education, but the main obstacle in doing so was lack of money for school fees. In the fall of 2007 Linda and her husband travelled back to Tanzania and selected the first two students for what would become the Tanzania Nursing Scholarship Program– Jacqueline Owuya and Chiku Folita, both of whom graduated in the fall of 2010.
OUR SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM & PARTNERS
In the fall of 2007 we established our sponsorship program at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC). KCMC is located in Moshi, at the foothills of snowcapped Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the referral hospital for over 11 million people in Northern Tanzania, with approximately 450 beds and many outpatient clinics. The diploma nursing program at KCMC was established in 1971 and has approximately 170 students.
In February, 2012 TNSP established a partnership with the Tukuyu School of Nursing, located in Tukuyu. Tukuyu is in southern Tanzania, close to the Malawi and Zambia borders. The Tukuyu School of Nursing has approximately 128 students, of which 60% are female.
A partnerships with Mbeya School of Operating Theatre Management began in 2014. This was followed by a tie up with Mvumi School of Nursing in 2017, a private, Anglican-affiliated organization.
These nursing school programs are government sponsored and subsidized. In order to enter a program, students apply to the Ministry of Health for admission to one of the government sponsored nursing school programs. The Ministry then assigns selected students to the individual schools. It is only during their first year that the level of financial need and academic standing of a student becomes apparent to the school staff. For this reason, TNSP’s sponsorship of students generally starts in the second year of their studies. The annual cost to TNSP for tuition, room and board and a small personal allowance is approximately $875.00 per year for government schools, depending on the exchange rate. The cost of attending a private institution is slightly higher.
The diploma programs require three years of study, which includes both classroom and clinical experience. Following the successful completion of the three-year program, students take a national examination. Passing scores on the national examination provide the professional designations of “Registered Nurse” and “Registered Midwife” to the student.
HOW WE SELECT SPONSORED STUDENTS
We select female students for sponsorship based on assessed financial need and academic qualifications. A typical sponsored student is from an economically disadvantaged rural background, sometimes with one or both parents deceased. Members of the TNSP Board continue to travel to Tanzania, generally once a year, for the purpose of selecting students, assessing the program and meeting with current students. The cost of fees can be prohibitive for many rural families.
