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MasterCard Foundation gives Zim students’ pathway to U.S. education
US Embassy
June 13, 2013

The MasterCard Foundation has provided scholarships to 13 Zimbabwean students studying in the United States since its establishment in last year, providing a welcome relief to the declining funds for low-income countries in Africa. The figures were revealed by the U.S. Embassy’s EducationUSA office on Tuesday, June 11, following a presentation by a visiting admissions officer from one of the five American universities administering the $500 million, 10-year fund.

“I have been in the student recruiting business, specifically trying to recruit African students, for a long time, and there has never been this kind of money available for Africans,” stated Anne Schneller of Michigan State University during a Food for Thought presentation at the Embassy’s Eastgate complex in Harare. “The scholarships are meant for students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds but have worked really hard, done well in school, and have been leaders in their communities. We also want to see a real commitment from each MasterCard student to give something back to their countries,” she noted.

The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program is a $500 million, 10-year initiative “to educate and prepare young people particularly from Africa to lead change and make a positive social impact in their communities.”

The program will assist an estimated 15,000 young people at the secondary and university levels. It has a particular focus on Africa, which is the world’s youngest continent and is experiencing unprecedented growth, but which also faces the lowest secondary and university education enrollment rates.

On average, one student’s estimated annual expenses at a U.S. university are over $45,000. In addition to Michigan State University, other participating American universities are Arizona State University, Duke University, Wellesley College, Stanford University, and the University of California at Berkeley.

The U.S. Embassy’s EducationUSA Advising Centers in Zimbabwe is the only source of comprehensive, accurate and current information on studying at U.S. colleges and universities. EducationUSA last year succeeded in helping to send four students on the pilot round of MasterCard Scholarships to Duke and Arizona State Universities.

This August three of the four students heading to Michigan State University with the support of the MasterCard scholarships, Simbarashe Chidyagwayi, Blessing Tayisepi, and Chiwimbo Gwenambira, attended the Tuesday discussion and were presented with memorabilia by the guest student recruiter. Michigan State University is a public research university with 237 African students and a long history of collaboration with Zimbabwe. It is located in East Lansing, Michigan and was the first U.S. land-grant institution. Land-grant universities were set up by U.S. states after receiving specially-designated federal lands in order to teach primarily practical agriculture, science, military science, and engineering.

The EducationUSA advising programme, which has four offices in Harare, Mutare, Gweru and Bulawayo, told participants at the discussion that they will continue outreach to deserving Zimbabweans throughout the country.

“We have publicized the scholarships to Zimbabwean students through our workshops, at our advising centers, and on social media,” said Rebecca Zeigler Mano, EducationUSA Country Coordinator. “We hosted an admissions officer from University of California at Berkeley last September, Lin Larson, who spent one week in Bulawayo, Gweru, Harare and Chitungwiza, speaking to hundreds of students about the scholarships.” Some of the college representatives are expected to attend the annual Embassy-sponsored American universities and colleges fairs scheduled for July this year at Eveline High School in Bulawayo on July 13 and at Prince Edward School in Harare on July 20.

Students interested in study and scholarship opportunities in the U.S. are encouraged to like the Facebook page EducationUSAZimbabwe.

The United States is home to more than 4,000 internationally accredited colleges and universities. More Zimbabwean students continue to choose U.S. education institutions for international experience and academic excellence. There are currently just over 1,100 Zimbabwean students in the U.S.; the majority of these students receive full or substantial scholarships given for their academic, artistic, or sporting talent.

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