Four Rwandans win UK scholarships

Four Rwandans are lucky winners of this year’s post graduate Chevening Scholarships, United Kingdom government’s global scholarships programme.The laureates are Doreen Mutoni Gahakwa, Aline Nyinawamahoro, Sylvia Gasana and Capt. Regis Sankara Rwagasana.The beneficiaries were chosen through rigorous interviews among hundreds who applied for the prestigious scheme. They will be fully sponsored by the British government to study in several universities in the UK for a period of one year.Speaking at a reception held on Friday evening to celebrate the award of scholarships, Sharon Wilkins, UK Deputy High Commissioner, said the scholarships are awarded to scholars with strong leadership potential and are likely to become key decision makers in their country in the future.“These are full scholarships and they enable scholars to study postgraduate courses at higher education institutions across the UK,” she noted.Chevening Scholarships are for talented people who have been identified as potential future leaders across a wide range of fields, including politics, business, the media, civil society, religion, and academia.The four Rwandans will be travelling to their universities in the UK in the next few days. The British government will spend about 80,000 pounds on all scholars.Gahakwa will pursue a Master of Science (MSc) Degree in Molecular Genetics at the University of Leicester, Nyinawamaharo will study MSc in Public Health at Dundee University, Gasana will pursue Master of Arts Degree in Media for International Development at the University of Sussex while Sankara will enroll for MSc in Bridge Engineering at the University of Surrey.“I am very excited to be among the beneficiaries of Chevening scholarship. The programme is very competitive and I thank God for enabling me to pass the interviews,” said Sankara.He stated that he hopes to gain the best knowledge and skills so that he can contribute to bridge engineering in Rwanda.Sankara who holds a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering from the Royal Military Academy in Belgium, works with Horizon Construction as a Civil Engineer in concrete construction.Since 1999, about 40 Rwandan scholars have benefitted from the programme and most of them occupy high positions in the country.Chevening Scholarships programme began in 1983 and has developed into a prestigious international scheme. Scholars come from over 120 countries worldwide and 700 scholarships were awarded in 2011-2012.There are over 40,000 Chevening Alumni around the world who comprise an influential and highly regarded global network.The scholarships are mainly funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), with some contributions from universities and other partners in the UK and overseas, including governmental and private sector bodies.