Dr. Ezekiel Moirana has recently been appointed as the new Medical Director of the Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC) Hospital, following the recommendation of the Director of the Tanzania Ministry of Health. This prestigious appointment reflects Dr. Moirana’s clinical, academic, and compassionate dedication to the people of Tanzania throughout his career as a physician. Dr. Moirana is recognized as a leader in his field. He has established two endoscopy suites at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center (KCMC) in Moshi and Mount Meru Hospital in Arusha. He continues to mentor many of our scholars and is a voice for the future of healthcare in Tanzania. We are fortunate to count him as one of our own.

Dr. Rebeka Gurti is currently interning at Mount Meru Regional Referral Hospital in Arusha, Tanzania, with an expected completion date of December 2024. She has completed general surgery, orthopedics, and obstetrics rotations and now specializes in pediatrics/neonatal medicine. Dr. Gurti performs Cesarean operations and enjoys her time in the operating room. Dr. Gurti loves pediatrics and says sick children used to make her feel sad, but she has discovered that “they are just little angels who need our attention.” She recently wrote, “Thanks for your consistent and great support always.”

Whenever possible, Dr. Gurti returns to her hometown of Endasak, where she and her husband operate the Nazareti Dispensary, which they manage out of their home. The couple converted their entire house into a clinic by adding extra buildings to accommodate more patients. They sleep in a small room to optimize the space available for the clinic, which offers vital healthcare services to the local area.

Boniphace is in his second year of medical school at the University of Dodoma and continues to enjoy the intellectual challenges. His current curriculum consists of four units: Community Service, Parasitology, Pharmacology, and Pathology and Systems. These units are completed concurrently to integrate various aspects of human physiology and pathology. He is passionate about pursuing a career in medical research that is connected to community outreach and providing advances in medical care for underserved communities.

Boniphace is compassionate, intelligent, deeply committed to his country and people, and very appreciative of PSCTP’s support. He recently said, “Thanks to the support of PSCTP, we are the ones who can make the changes for our country.”

The PSCTP Scholarship Committee recently accepted Saumu as an ongoing nursing program scholar. She will pursue a Bachelor of Nursing (BSN) in obstetrics and midwifery, an area of nursing that she is deeply passionate about. During a recent visit to St. John’s University, where she plans to apply, she was informed that she would likely be accepted because her GPA in the diploma program was so high.

After graduating from Decca College with a diploma in nursing in 2023, she immediately began volunteering at Dodoma Regional Referral Hospital (DRRH). She has gained enormous experience working in maternal and child health, rotating through all phases of pregnancy, postpartum care, and neonatal intensive care. She was the class representative in nursing school and continues to be a leader in her community. When asked about her perceived strengths, Saumu said, “I am a leader. Wherever I go, people see me as a leader.” She also observed, “To be a nurse who cares for different people, you have to have a passion to be a good nurse, and I have that passion.”

Jacqueline is completing her final semester of the two-year master’s degree in nursing and midwifery at Muhimbili University of Health & Allied Science in Dar es Salaam. In the first three months of 2024, she had clinical rotations in the labor ward and the Neonatal ICU. She passed all the end-of-semester exams in theory and skill demonstrations in March. This last semester is all about research. Jacqueline’s research explores barriers and compliance with the recommended antenatal visits. Her project is titled “Postnatal Mothers’ Perspectives on the Current Eight Required Antenatal Contacts at Mwananyanal Hospital in Tanzania.” Jacqueline has finished her data collection and is now doing transcription and data analysis, with report writing to follow. She has submitted her dissertation and is awaiting an assigned defense date; her graduation is scheduled for the fall of 2024.

Jastin recently received his acceptance letter for the Master of Science in Pediatric Nursing program at the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences for the 2024/2025 academic year. The PSCTP Scholarship Committee originally selected Jastin as a nursing scholar in 2022, but he had to defer his schooling to satisfy the requirements of his employer, Bugando Referral Hospital in Mwanza. During this time, he worked in both the Emergency Room and Pediatric wards with his nursing students. Jastin recently wrote, “I realized that children and their families need supportive care and health education for them to stay healthier, especially from we nurses.”

The PSCTP Scholarship Committee recently accepted Veronica as an ongoing social work program scholar. Before completing her diploma in social work at Mwenge Catholic University in November 2023, Veronica had already started her bachelor’s degree in social work at the same institution. PSCTP continues to support her as an ongoing scholar because she has clearly demonstrated great ability and passion in the field of social work. Veronica is currently conducting fieldwork at the Moshi Municipal Social Work Office, which provides services to the elderly, disabled, families, and children. The office assists with psychological and financial services, child development, foster care/adoption, mediation of marital disputes, and children’s legal rights. Veronica is very pleased with the experience she is gaining.

Iman is in the fourth semester of his three-year diploma program in Clinical Social Work at the Open University of Tanzania, located in Dodoma. During his recent clinical rotation, he spent time in small villages where he and his classmates promoted youth involvement in micro-businesses and enterprises to tackle youth unemployment issues. He is doing well in school and will continue to learn about conducting assessments during the next semester. Iman attended two healthcare conferences in Tanzania last semester, both of which were funded by PSCTP. The first focused on primary health care. The second addressed non-communicable diseases and policies on minimizing the burden these diseases have on the community. He presented what he learned during the previous All-Scholar Zoom meeting. In Iman’s words, both conferences were “real amazing.”

The PSCTP Scholarship Committee has recently accepted Elisha as an ongoing scholar, allowing him to pursue a master’s degree in social work. After graduating from Kampala International University in December 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in social work, Elisha struggled to find paid employment, a common challenge for post-graduates in Tanzania. The PSCTP team recognized that social work is still a developing field in Tanzania and believes that Elisha, due to his exceptional passion for the profession, is the ideal candidate to become a future leader. As a result, PSCTP has extended Elisha’s scholarship to pursue a master’s degree. Elisha was admitted to the Master of Social Work Program at the Open University of Tanzania and began classes in July. He recently shared that he is enjoying his studies this semester and that his three courses – Advanced Welfare Policies, Advanced Administrative and Community Social Work, and Leadership with Children and Family Services – are all interesting and beneficial for social work in his community.

“Thank you very much for this great news and the opportunity you offered to me. I really feel honored to be accepted for the scholarship program. I promise that I will study hard and meet the needs of the program and my community at large… Thank you.”

The PSCTP Scholarship Committee recently accepted Arafa as an ongoing scholar. In December 2023, she graduated with a diploma in social work from the Mkolani Foundation Health Sciences Training Institute. Like our other recent graduates, Arafa had trouble finding paid employment. She decided to volunteer full-time at the Village of Hope in Mwanza, where she worked with children to identify and address social and behavioral learning concerns through counseling and teaching reading and writing. She later volunteered with Steps Organization, which focuses on treating substance abuse disorder. PSCTP approved her application to pursue a bachelor’s degree in social work, as her continued education will help her find permanent employment and thus better serve her community. Arafa has applied to the University of Dar es Salaam, the University of Dodoma, and Kampala University. If accepted, she will commence the three-year program in November.