Addressing Inequity

 

The Bega Kwa Bega Scholarship Equity fund provides secondary school (high school) scholarships to students from parishes in the Iringa Diocese without companion congregations in the Saint Paul Area Synod. While the existing scholarship program has brought many blessings to students across the diocese, it has also brought inequity as some parishes have benefitted greatly and others, like Zizini with no direct companion, have not.

 

Aware of the challenges this creates, the Iringa Committee and BKB-SPAS have developed two strategies to address this imbalance:

 

1) The Scholarship Equity Fund provides a million shillings (about $500) for secondary school scholarships to each unpaired Iringa Diocese parish. With initial contributions from a dozen different US congregations, in 2017 the fund enabled 16 students to receive scholarship support. In 2018 that number grew to 32 and is projected to grow even more in the future.

 

2) The Post-Secondary Scholarship Fund provides scholarships for students from both partnered and non-partnered congregations. With support coming from a variety of Saint Paul Area Synod congregations, these scholarships are reviewed and awarded centrally by a joint scholarship review board. As the demand for higher education increases in Tanzania, this fund is particularly in need of donations.

 

Funding for both of these programs comes from a variety of sources. Some US congregations and their Iringa partners tithe 10% of their scholarship support toward these projects. Others allocate funds over and above their current commitments. Still others review their scholarship accounts in September and transfer whatever unspent pledged funds remain. Whatever the case and however you decide, please be generous. Your financial support will reduce inequality and help a bright young student like Samweli.

 

For more information about supporting the Scholarship Equity Fund, please contact your cluster leader or email begakwabega@spas-elca.org.

 

Asante Sana,