MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program Educating Next-Generation Rwandan Scientists

By Elias Hakizimana

Dative Tuyisenge has been passionate about sciences, especially mathematics, since her childhood in primary school. But, like many young Rwandans, Tuyisenge, grew up struggling to pay for school fees for her education, which was threatening her dream to become one of acclaimed female scientists both on Rwanda and elsewhere.

However, her hope was revived, and her acadenic dream kept alive and become true after the young lady benefited from MasterCard Foundation programme.

“I heard of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program when I was still in secondary school. By the time I was joining the master’s degree, I finally gained a scholarship to African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS).”

She says that MasterCard Foundation accompanied her schooling during the whole period of her master’s courses.

“What is different with the Mastercard Foundation scholarship is the open mind required of its students,” she said.

“Mastercard Foundation scholars are interested in helping our communities, especially younger generations coming up behind us. For me, I want to nurture young people’s interest in science, which is the foundation of development for any nation,” Tuyisenge noted.

She finished her master’s courses in mathematical sciences and graduated in June 2016. In university, Tuyisenge studied applied mathematics with the option of statistics.

Currently, she is an employee of African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in Kigali and she is inspiring young women in the community to stand up and have greater confidence in themselves as students and as scientists.

Tuyisenge was part of a group of MasterCard Foundation scholars who toured schools and projects in Kigali in October this year (2017) as part of its annual Scholars Program Partners Convening, a conference that provides the 29 partners involved in the Scholars Program with an opportunity to learn from each other and improve the Program’s performance across the continent.

She says many young women fear to take scientific courses. She advises them to overcome fear and build their self-confidence, a pathway to success.

“I advise them not to fear and to be confident. Often, young women are told sciences are too complicated for them, but that is not true. Science is important to the way we live our daily lives, it is needed everywhere – but more importantly, young women can be great scientists too,” she says.

“As a child, I performed well in mathematics. I kept succeeding in maths and even improved in secondary school, where I had a great teacher,” she added.

Crystal Rugege-Ntore, Director of Business Strategy and Operations at Carnegie Mellon University Africa, told The Inspirer that the Scholars Program partners have to ensure that students are not only selected for their academic skills, but for their talent as emerging leaders in their communities.

She also noted that visiting MasterCard Foundation projects in Rwanda will help gathered partners see how best to maximize the Scholars Program’s performance in the next ten years.

The Mastercard Foundation was set up eleven years ago as an independent global foundation. Having since focused its work in Africa, it works areas imcluding youth employment, education and financial inclusion.

Its Scholars Program enables bright young leaders from economically disadvantaged communities to pursue their secondary or university studies, an initiative which has invested nearly one billion dollars.

The program includes 29 partners in Africa, in Canada, in USA, in Costa Rica and in Lebanon.

In Rwanda, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program works with Carnegie Mellon University Africa, (CMU), African Institute for Mathematics and Sciences (AIMS), and FAWE Rwanda.

“Scholars who have graduated from secondary school and university are now beginning to return to their communities across Africa. Many of them are coming back with ideas and projects to create positive social change in their communities,” said Ivy Mwai, Senior Program Manager at the Mastercard Foundation.

She noted that different selection criteria are applied by our partners at secondary and university levels.

“Our partners often work with local educators and community leaders to identify students who are not only academically talented, but also have shown commitment to improving the lives of others,” she said.

$USD 850 million provided to educate 35,000 scholars

The Mastercard Foundation is based in Canada, Toronto town and recently opened an office in Rwanda.

In Rwanda, the Scholars Program is levelling the playing field for a combined 1,253 young women and girls pursuing their studies in STEM by providing them with access to enriched curricula and leadership training. These opportunities help to redress inequality girls and young women in STEM face every day.

So far, the Scholars Program has committed $USD 850 million to educate 35,000 scholars, the vast majority of which are African secondary and university students.

The beneficiaries of the program are young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Scholars Program officially started in September 2012.

There are approximately 1,300 Rwandans in the Scholars Programme, most of them are studying at the secondary level (1,200 at FAWE Rwanda).

The photo on top shows FAWE female students who are among beneficiaries of MasterCard Foundation, photos by Gloria Iribagiza .