Together We Can Take Jamal To University

Dear Friends my name is Ali Hassani, I am a Masters student at the United Nations University in Japan. I want to support my friend Jamal to go to University. Currently I am in Dodoma Tanzania for my research (Masters Thesis) and I will be going back to Japan on November 26. Due to some bureaucratic reasons I had to spend the whole month before obtaining a permit to carry on my research, yes!! I know, a permit for a national sound crazy. In the end, I had only one month left to collect all the data I wanted, it was not enough.

Scenario:

I met Jamal in one village (Ntyuka), he finished high school this year and expects to start his bachelor of environmental science at Dodoma University (a local university). I decided to make him my research assistant to catch up with time and also give back something to this impoverished community. I gave him my research knowledge (how to collect data) which eventually he will use it during his bachelor thesis and very little something from my pocket since my research budget was not enough to employ an assistant. He was really nice and good at his work!

To cut long story short. This time, Jamal did not secure the government loan to enable him to study. The annual fee (tuition fee) for his programme is like 750 USD. The local university will not register him until he pays about 549 USD first. He comes from a poor family like the majority in this village, he was not prepared and didn’t saw it coming that he will not secure the government loan to study. Despite the relatively cheap cost to study in Tanzania it almost impossible for the majority to attend university in case they don’t secure government loans.

Purpose:

Through myself and a network of you my longtime friends I plan to raise a total of 750 USD which will cover Jamal tuition fee and accommodation for a year.

I know you will be wondering about what he will be eating and the like. I was wondering the same, but Jamal believes that he will only struggle at the beginning before he secures the loan on the next application window. The application window for a government loan is open to all students every year, and Jamal will be applying and the possibility to secure the loan becomes higher once you get registered by the university.

Also, Jamal was able to secure about 173 USD only from his mom who also had to pay for Jamal's sibling who recently joined the collage. His mom will also, continue to support him with little money to eat every month. Also, I didn’t know that he was saving for university the little money I was paying him for supporting my research, this was touching. In short, he believes that if he manages to pay the initial fees, it is possible for him to study while waiting for future government support.

Fund Management (A promise)

To ensure that every single dollar is used as intended, I don’t plan to give Jamal the whole sum, I am in this village until 20^th if we manage to raise that amount before I leave, I will make sure I pay direct to the university account the required amount. I will only give Jamal the remaining amount in case we raise over and above the target to support other university requirements.

Why Supporting Jamal

My friend Steve Houghton from UK once told me that “Rafiki" (friend) if you really want to support someone in these poor communities supports them through education, it is a good course”

The idea of Steve just sticks in me. I wish I was in the position to fund it all, I am just a student. But I got faith, I got hope and I got Us.