Six MasterCard Foundation Scholars at Michigan State University will spend the summer developing their leadership skills to foster the growth and development of Africa.
On May 23, Rebecca Nassimbwa, a master’s student studying rehabilitation counseling in the College of Education, headed to Kampala, Uganda, where she will work for the United Nations Development Program to help combat HIV/AIDS on the continent.
“HIV is a disability due to stigma and health complications associated with it and it is still a big problem in my home country of Uganda,” she said.
While on her internship, Nassimbwa will support UNDP’s governance unit, working specifically toward attaining two UNDP millennium goals: combating HIV/AIDS and encouraging women empowerment.
Other scholars from MSU will spend their summers working in Zambia, South Africa, Nigeria and California:
- Thelma Namonje will work in Lusaka, Zambia for Indaba Agricultural Policy Institute. She will be working on a research paper and collecting data for her master’s thesis.
- Stella Nhanala will work in Pretoria, South Africa with The New Partnership for Africa’s Development. She will be learning about issues related to biosafety across the continent.
- Mavis Dome will spend the summer in Cape Town, South Africa working with the University of Cape Town’s Democracy in Africa Research Unit at the Centre for Social Research. She will support the Afrobarometer team on post-field activities, such as technical reports, results summaries, press releases and presentations.
- Victor Jayeola will be in Lagos, Nigeria to work for the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. He will analyze processes to ensure the safety of food and drugs in Nigeria.
- Mohamadou Diatta will stay in the United States to work with African Leadership Foundation in San Francisco, helping to plan the annual African Leadership Academy conference.