Mohammed's Scholarship
Mohammed scored third highest in his country of Tanzania on university exams. That allowed him to get a partial scholarship that covers 40% of his expenses. Mohammed’s family is very poor and cannot afford to help him. We are funding the balance of Mohammed’s university expenses so he can complete his degree.
HOW WE GOT STARTED
We learned about Mohammed’s story on a climbing trek on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Mohammed is the half brother of Yusuph, the lead guide for Kilimanjaro climbing trips. Yusuph is familiar to many from the Rochester area who have climbed Kilimanjaro (see “Past Projects”). Mohammed did exceptionally well in school. He scored third highest in the whole country on his University exams. This allowed Mohammed to get a partial scholarship of 40%. He came to Yusuph his first year for help with his fees. Mohammed’s family is very poor. They are farmers who are forced to live in a mud hut without water. Family loyalty is very strong in Tanzania. Yusuph went to the bank and gave him his last $400 so that Mohammed could finish the year. Mohammed called Yusuph two nights before our 2008 Kilimanjaro climb and showed up at his house at midnight saying he did not have the money to stay in school. Yusuph told him he could not support him long term, he had a new house, a new adopted son and his own kids to put through school. He could give Mohammed a job as a porter on the climb. So Mohammed was a porter on the Leomosho route for us.
WHAT HAPPENED
During the climb we learned about Mohammed’s story from Yusuph. Yusuph believes education is critical so that is why he saw promise in Mohammed and asked us for help. We asked Mohammed to come to the tent that night and speak with us. He wants to become an accountant. He has 2.5 years to go and he needs $600/year to cover his educational expenses. Several of the trekkers decided to help. Tina Trudeau volunteered to track and coordinate this project.
FUTURE PLANS
Kili climbers have already collected enough to support Mohammed in the next few years. Let us know if you want to know more or would like to help out. There are many other people like Mohammed who could benefit from scholarship assistance.