Award for Elia.

Full government scholarship for one of Tanzania’s top graduates

When Elia Mbwilinge recently stopped by our office in Iringa, you could hardly tell he’d been under so much stress during the past few weeks of exams. He smiled calmly, folded his hands casually, and told us about his plans for the future. The 19-year-old certainly has reason to celebrate: He is currently among Tanzania’s very best high school graduates in the natural sciences..

We’ve known Elia for over ten years. As an orphan, he caught our attention back then in third grade at a public elementary school in the Iringa region – above all, because of his calm, determined manner and his tremendous diligence. We then accepted him into our scholarship program and supported him throughout his entire school career.

The results show just how worthwhile this journey together has been: Elia aced both the Mittlere Reife (Form Four) and the Abitur (Form Six) with the highest possible grade, Division 1 —and he did so in the challenging subject combinations of physics, chemistry, and advanced mathematics.

Such outstanding achievements do not go unnoticed even at the Ministry of Education. At the end of last month, Elia was selected for the coveted Samia Scholarship . The Tanzanian government awards this full scholarship only to a hand-picked elite group of the nation’s top STEM graduates to cover 100 percent of the costs of their entire bachelor’s degree program.. The fact that Elia belongs to this small circle is an extraordinary achievement.

Together with Elia, we’ve already prepared the applications for his three top-choice universities:

  • Mbeya University of Science and Technology (Biotechnology Engineering)
  • Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Biomedical Engineering)
  • Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (Biotechnology Engineering)

Whether in medical technology or biotechnology, Elia has what it takes to make a real difference as an engineer in research or industry. We’re incredibly proud of his progress and excited to see which university he’ll be starting at next semester!

Author: Edgar Mgembe, Program Manager at SCHULBANK e.V.

About SCHULBANK e.V.

We run a targeted scholarship program exclusively for orphaned children and adolescents in Tanzania. We support young people from elementary school through to their entry into the workforce or college. Elias’s story shows how ongoing support leads to true independence. . So that we can help even more dedicated young people along this path, we would appreciate your support for our scholarship program.

Would you like to support our scholarship program?
Learn more at: https://schulbank.com/de/bildungspate-werden/