How Mastercard Foundation Scholars are Giving Back Amid COVID-19
A series of four stories
Globally, the lives of hundreds of millions of students were upended as school closures, travel restrictions, and other safety measures were implemented in response to COVID-19.
Over 15,000 Mastercard Foundation Scholars, talented but underprivileged scholarship recipients, were among those affected. Like others, they were thrust into unprecedented new realities. Distance from family and friends. Transitions to online education. And uncertainty about what the future would hold for their education—and their life beyond academia.
The Foundation quickly acted to meet Scholars mental, physical, and academic needs. With these met, and as Scholars have adjusted to their temporary new normal, they’ve turned their attention outwards to the needs of their peers, families, communities, and countries. Many have stepped up, in the true spirit of transformative leadership, to address these needs.
In this series, we share just a few stories of current and past Mastercard Foundation Scholars who are giving back amid COVID-19.
The Hope Campaign
The Hope Campaign was launched by two Scholars: Jobe Wuyeh and Ozioma Paul. Both are 25-year-old Masters of Information Technology students at CMU-Africa in Rwanda. Jobe comes from Ganjur, a coastal town in the western part of Gambia. Ozioma comes from Lagos, Nigeria.
The two were planning to launch a story-telling and blood donation initiative as part of their “give back” project—a requirement of the Scholars program. Then, COVID-19 hit.
“When COVID happened we lost hope,” said Wuyeh. “But Sandra (the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Program Manager at CMU) encouraged us to brainstorm with other Scholars ideas around the pandemic.”
Together they launched the HOPE campaign in partnership with Solid’Africa, an NGO that helps vulnerable patients in public hospitals by providing them with meals, hygienic products and other services to accelerate patient recovery. Solid’Africa is in four public hospitals, serving 800 patients a day with three meals, producing 2400 meals a day.
Under the Hope Campaign, Jobe and Ozioma aimed to raise USD 1,500 to support Solid’Africa. “We had a concern about collecting the money ourselves because of the restrictions of the lockdown that we were not exempted from. We wanted to provide help at the time of the pandemic for those who couldn’t do basic things like those in hospitals and refugees,” said Ozioma. “Knowing Solid’Africa has a good reputation and the means to function during the lockdown, we decided to partner with them. We knew the funds would go to the right place as they had the ability to organize this outreach.
Together, Jobe and Ozioma researched crowdfunding platforms, created a video, and launched the campaign. Within three days they reached their goal—12 days earlier than they’d anticipated. The “whole community was involved and some people outside of CMU donated and supported the cause.”
While the Hope Campaign was driven by the urgent needs created by COVID-19, Jobe and Ozioma also see a silver lining for Africa amid this crisis. “The corona virus is leading to transformation. “I was really impressed that when I went to the market a couple of weeks ago. There were locally made mask being made. People can make solutions, not just the production of local masks but the scientific innovation and discoveries, it makes me have hope in Africa. If we can focus on what we can do for ourselves, we can make more impact.”
Using Street Art to Drive Social Change
It’s been a busy year for Tanzania native Emmanuel Mushy, a 27-year-old alumni of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program. In January 2020 he launched Visual Aided Stories, a youth led movement that works with street artists and uses visual arts (murals) and digital marketing as tools for social change.
“Our murals are a brilliant intersection between art and advertising (Part Art + Part Ad) where the art part has been psychologically proven to connect with humans on an emotional level, given art is intertwined in our lives and its open to interpretation. While the ad side of it is where we attach a socially uplifting message, inspiring message.”
With funding from the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Entrepreneurship Fund, Emmanuel turned his vision into a reality by building a collaborative community/network of visual artists, digital marketers, and other content creators to create a series of messages around the theme of peace and unity ahead of the upcoming Tanzania elections.
Continuing process of learning and adapting
Then the pandemic happened. “It’s been an unprecedented time not just for just us but for people and families across the world,” said Emmanuel. “It’s a continuous process of learning as an entrepreneur. New reality. I had to challenge myself to look at this problem and find an angle for an opportunity. That’s when we sat down as a team and decided that it was vital to shift our message from peace and unity and address the challenge with COVID-19 awareness.”
Emmanuel sat down with 10 artists to explore different concepts that would reinforce the importance of good hygiene like wearing masks, washing hands. The final concept included the image of a beautiful African woman they named Karina and a special message “zingatia” which means pay attention in Swahili. “The word has power in Swahili,” said Emmanuel. “It is something that we are told by a very caring person.”
The mural was installed in the neighbourhood of Kigogo in Dar es Salaam, home to around 57,600 residents, near a main road, that gets a lot of pedestrian traffic.
“Karina”
A street mural installed in the neighbourhood of Kigogo in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
“Most of these people (living in Kigogo) are low income. They are the ones at high risk to be affected by COVID. Many of them have failed to process COVID-19 information coming from abroad, or in international languages. Sanitizer is not common here. Even in Swahili, literacy rates are low, and cannot impact behaviour change. We thought art would be a powerful tool to discuss the prevention measures.”
After installing the mural on ground, the creators at VAS hub shared Karina’s message on social media. A video showing a 360-degree experience of the mural installationbecame one of their best performing posts with 7,902 engagements online across Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Mbeya & Dodoma.
Feedback from the community has largely been favourable. Many of those who interacted with the mural including pedestrians, residents, boda boda drivers, and others believe there is need for a washing station.
“We have been looking for stakeholders/partners to work on our COVID-19 awareness by providing supplies but have been unsuccessful so far. From there, we can map out to install the same mural concept and message in other neighborhoods,” Emmanuel explains. “I’m a huge believer in the power of youth, in that we are a true reminder of the power of idealism, resilience and enthusiasm, with courage to learn from our past to shape our future. I strongly believe in our vibrant ideas and creativity to have potential impact, in as much as disruptive, they might sound.”
Update: VAS has installed a second mural, this time in Illala and they have partnered with the Swiss Embassy in Tanzania to map out Karina’s story in three other neighbourhoods beginning in mid-June.
Providing Essentials to Vulnerable Families
Norman Mushiga‘s passion for helping others started when he was very young. “I always feel bad when people are in bad conditions. I was raised from a humble background. I know what it is like not having a day without food.”
When COVID -19 pandemic led to social isolation and the closing of businesses in Rwanda, this 25-year-old agricultural studies graduate felt compelled to act. He knew that many around him were shut out from selling their goods at the markets and would struggle to feed their families.
A month earlier Norman, had returned to Rwanda from Beijing, taking a break from his masters studies in global affairs as part of the Schwarzman Scholars program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He’d returned home to work on a venture he created last year, the Young African Business Booster (YAAB). YAAB is a non-profit organization based in Rwanda that incentivizes and trains youths by providing them with an entrepreneurial toolbox that helps them create their own agribusinesses. Norman’s goal in launching the YAAB was to create employment opportunities in Sub-Saharan Africa and stem migration. YABB has already impacted over 500 youth in Rwanda supporting them as they create their own jobs in agriculture, 52 percent have already started their own businesses as a result of YABB training and 48 percent are in the process of developing their ideas.
Norman
Wearing personal protective gear, preps the food for delivery
Norman recalls being at home when a lady knocked on the door for food. The knocks only grew louder. “There were many people who cannot access basic needs.”
He felt compelled to act to provide food relief in his community. “I started small in my village with eight families. Together with local leaders we bought food for them that they could cook at home.”
The local government helped Norman identify the families most in need. “They are well organized at the sector level at identifying families who are vulnerable.”
When Norman’s friends learned about his efforts, they were eager to support as were his instructors and classmates living abroad. Working with five volunteers who assist with logistics and deliveries, he has now supported 250 vulnerable families, including 50 women who are survivors of the 1994 genocide.
“We go buy food and deliver it to specific communities. We provide food types for the families: sugar, rice, maize flour, beans, cooking oil, salt and soap,” said Norman. “We provide them with enough to last for more than week.”
Norman and his friends will continue this work. He sees this effort as an extension of his work through YABB.
Food prepped and ready for delivery.
“I created (the YABB) to empower young people, so people don’t have to have the same challenges as I did. I don’t want to see people not be able to access food because they are poor. I’ve been blessed and privileged to study abroad and I have an obligation to give back. I feel that will my contribution in the world. If I can hold someone’s hand and give them hope that tomorrow will be better than today.”
Making life saving information accessible to all
When the University of Rwanda closed its doors to slow the spread of COVID-19, Mastercard Foundation Scholar Marie Pierre found herself with more time on her hands than usual.
he decided to invest it volunteering-from-home for Uridu, an international NGO that translates and disseminates life-saving medical information into the country’s local languages. Marie Pierre translates responses for questions like, “what do if I find my child has diarrhea,” into Kinyarwandan, that is subsequently proofread and recorded onto a solar powered MP3 player.
Uridu then works with local community leaders to distribute the players to rural families and those living remotely, who benefit from their simple messages that focuses primarily on infant and maternal health matters.
The organization was quick to turn their sights to COVID-19.
When the pandemic started, I received an email from (Uridu’s) founders. We were told that we were doing amazing work as volunteers and that now we’re going to translate a string about COVID. For COVID, we explain that it can still be spread even if people don’t have signs or symptoms. That people must wash their hands with soap and water and sanitizer. Our project targets rural women and marginalized women so we focus on soap and water.”
Instead of working the usual four hours a week, she is now translating six to seven hours a day.
“I thought first would study, find a job, and then give back when I had money. Now I don’t believe giving back is contingent on money,” she explains. “I can give back in any situation, I can always give. I feel blessed and I can help someone get from a bad life to a good life. This is period of believing in transformative leadership.”
