The MasterCard Foundation has announced partnership with four African universities that will see talented, yet economically disadvantaged young people educated.
Through its Scholars Programme, over 2,300 learners will be able to join their peers in classrooms early next year. The Foundation said it was is committing Ksh7.8 billion to work in collaboration with Makerere University, (Uganda), University of Pretoria, (South Africa), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana) and University of Cape Town, (South Africa).
The Foundation is already working with Equity Bank to educate thousands of Kenyan learners through Equity’s Wings To Fly Programme. The partnership with the four universities is an addition to a global network of 21 partners including Ashesi University College in Ghana, read a statement from the Foundation.
By growing such partnerships, the Foundation said it hoped to use the students as change agents, using their knowledge and skills to lead change in their communities and contribute to meaningful transformation across the continent.
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, the University of Pretoria and Makerere University have already opened their doors to their first cohorts of MasterCard Foundation Scholars, while the University of Cape Town is expected to welcome its first cohort in January 2015.
“I feel the itch to learn,” said Yvonne Sihle Mashaba, a MasterCard Foundation Scholar majoring in Environmental Economics at the University of Pretoria. “I want to acquire knowledge that will help me fulfill my dream of ending poverty and unemployment around the world.”
“The MasterCard Foundation is excited to have these four new partners joining the programme,” said Ms Reeta Roy, President and CEO of The MasterCard Foundation. “These universities are aligned with the Foundation’s vision of developing Africa’s next-generation leaders who will apply their ingenuity and empathy to drive progress in their communities and countries.” The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program is a 10-year, $500 million programme that hopes to inspire young people to lead change through education. Scholars receive holistic financial, social, academic and leadership development support to create pathways for them to transition to jobs, entrepreneurial activities or further education.
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