Mastercard Foundation and the University of Rwanda, on October 29, launched a 10-year $55.5 million partnership and awarded scholarships to the first cohort of 75 students.
The ceremony took place at Kigali Marriott Hotel.
Rica Rwigamba, the country representative of Mastercard Foundation, said that the partnership from 2021 to 2031 will benefit 1,200 students.
The partnership gives disadvantaged youth access to higher education, the target being women pursuing STEM, students with disabilities, and refugees or displaced youth.
The goal is to raise Africa’s next generation of transformative leaders.
"Under this programme, 70 per cent of the students should be young women, 20 per cent must be refugees while 10 per cent must be students with disabilities,” she said.
She said that the selection criteria include being talented young people and having performed well at high school, coming from poor families as well as having leadership abilities.
She said Mastercard Foundation has also partnered with other universities such as Carnegie Mellon University, and African Leadership University among others.
"The scholarship programme is 10 years old where we partnered with different universities,” she said, adding that 40,000 scholarships have been provided so far in countries where the Mastercard Foundation operates.
By 2030, she said, the goal is to have supported over 100,000 students in Rwanda and beyond.
"We pay tuition fees and a monthly stipend for the students, but also look at their wellbeing. This includes psychosocial support and leadership training. We will also be looking at e-learning in four UR campuses and digitizing some of their programmes,” she said.
Didas Muganga Kayihura, the acting Vice Chancellor of the University of Rwanda, said that the scholarship programme is expected to restore the hope of the vulnerable youth.
"Most of them are from poor families, others are teen mothers and now their talents will not be wasted as they get financial support to fulfil their dreams,” he said.
He urged more partners to help vulnerable youth pursue their university education in Rwanda.
"Over 2,000 applied for the Mastercard scholarships but 75 of them are going to be supported. This means there is a high demand of youth in need of support and therefore more partners should chip in,” he said.
Beneficiaries commend the programme
Patrick Iranzi is one of the students who got the scholarship under the first cohort.
"I grew up as a refugee and the scholarship is timely as a displaced young person,” he said.
Iranzi is studying pharmacy at the University of Rwanda.
Emmanuel Kubwimana, with visual impairment, said that the scholarship will enable him to accomplish his dreams of becoming an ophthalmologist (a specialist in the branch of medicine concerned with the study and treatment of disorders and diseases of the eye).
"I grew up performing well at school despite my visual impairment. The main issue was the lack of financial means to continue my studies. Mastercard Foundation has now removed the barrier to my education,” he said.
Olga Pamella Mukamisha also commended the Mastercard Foundation for supporting the pursuit of general medicine and surgery education at the University of Rwanda.
"It is discouraging to see talented youth who do not have access to education due to lack of means. This is the issue that Mastercard Foundation is addressing. There are many young people who have talents but are affected by poor backgrounds.
The Mastercard Foundation is also training us on saving. We are embracing the mindset to do business and become entrepreneurs. They are encouraging us to design projects,” she said.