Team Tanzania Scholar

Good People -

We are pleased to announce that we are finally ready to collect funds for the first Team Tanzania Scholar Awards:

www.firstgiving.com/teamtanzaniascholar

We propose to provide merit scholarships for the best MD students in each class at Bugando Medical school. The scholarships will cover the family contribution portion of the fees, thereby helping Tanzanian families while promoting academic excellence.

The Team Tanzania scholar idea was first explored at the 'Muungano' brunch held in NYC on April 26th, 2009. We had initially hoped to use the idea to help raise funds and galvanize Tanzanian support for the Touch Foundation campaign. Unfortunately and surprisingly, we were thoroughly discouraged from pursuing the idea though the Touch Foundation b/c of the bureaucratic complexities raised by the Touch Foundation.

Because the idea seemed to have strong resonance among Team Tanzania members, we felt that we had to pursue it through other means outside the Touch Foundation. Hence we revived MAENDELEO to collect funds for the awards. Maendeleo was incorporated 501(c)3 in 2003; and was instrumental in our previous successful medical textbook drives for HKMU, KCMC and TAMSA / Muhimbili. MAENDELEO has been underground for the past few years b/c life got just too busy for conference calls, board meetings and retreats.

We hope that the Team Tanzania scholar idea will resonate with many of you. Please contribute today:

www.firstgiving.com/teamtanzaniascholar

Comments and questions are also most welcome.