Amref Health Africa helped me fulfil my dreams

Monday, 10 April, 2017

Twenty-two year old Isaack Mwongela Kyagali experienced the loss of his mother at a very young age. She died after giving birth to this youngest sibling. Such a painful loss inspired Isaack to dream of becoming a nurse one day, so that he could save other women from the same terrible fat that had befallen his mother. Unfortunately, his family did not have the resources to support his nursing studies at a private institution, so Isaak learned carpentry with the intention of creating his own business to support himself and his family.

His luck changed one day, however, when Isaack was chosen to receive a full scholarship from Amref Health Africa through its Uzazi Uzima project designed to improve maternal, newborn and child health services in Simiyu Region. The scholarship allows Isaac to study nursing and midwifery at Kolandoto College of Health Sciences, just a few kilometres from Shinyanga town.

One of the identified challenges in maternal and child health in Shinyanga Region was the shortage of skilled health care workers. The support and health care worker training that Issac and others receive from Amref Health Africa will contribute greatly to reducing the unacceptably high rate of maternal mortality in this area.

“You cannot imagine how happy I am at being selected to receive a full Amref Health Africa scholarship! I am grateful to have this opportunity and I will study hard so that I can finally realise my dream of helping mothers safely deliver healthy babies.”

Isaack’s training is part of the global Stand up for African Mothers being run by Amref Health Africa to train 15,000 midwives by 2015 in 13 African countries, 3,800 of whom will be trained in Tanzania. The campaign aims to reduce maternal deaths through the provision of skilled midwives to assist safe deliveries.