London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Scholarships do more than remove financial barriers to study. They help talented students gain the knowledge, confidence and networks needed to address pressing public health chal­lenges. For LSHTM Fund Scholars Benedicta An-Mwaaba (MSc Demography and Health) and Therese Shema Nzayisenga (MSc Climate Change & Planetary Health), do­nor support has created opportunities that are already influenc­ing communities far beyond Keppel Street.

Although studying different disciplines, both came to LSHTM because they identified important gaps in their home countries and wanted to help address them. Benedicta saw a need for stronger demographic expertise to better understand fertility, mortality and population health trends in Ghana, while Therese recognised growing challenges at the intersec­tion of climate change and health in Zambia.

Benedicta’s interest grew out of work collecting and vali­dating demographic data. While initially involved in fieldwork, she became increasingly interested in the population patterns behind the data, particularly fertility, mortality and stillbirths. For Benedicta, the scholarship has enabled her to strength­en the skills needed to contribute more effectively to public health research. “I realised there were projects I wanted to contribute to more fully, but I needed stronger skills and knowledge to do that. That’s why I came to LSHTM.” 

Alongside her studies, she has continued supporting re­search projects in Ghana and hopes to contribute even more when she returns. She is also passionate about supporting girls to pursue education and opportunity. Reflecting on a young per­son she mentored, she shared the message: “You have shown me that my dreams are not too big.” For Benedicta, this reflects the wider impact of scholarship support. “Your generosity reaches beyond me. It gives hope to young people in my community.”

For Therese, through her work in disease outbreaks and emergency response, she became increasingly aware that many health challenges begin long before people reach hospital. “There’s so much that you can do for a patient before they come to the hospital,” she explains. Initially interested in health financing, Therese became in­creasingly aware of the wider factors that influence health. This led her to explore environmental health, planetary health and One Health approaches, and the role of policy in bringing to­gether health, environmental and governance systems. “Climate change and health is still a very new field in my country. We can see the impacts, but there are very few peo­ple addressing it. I wanted to learn what others are doing else­where.  We can then add our own nuances and the dynamics of our country.” She added “Understanding where climate change and health sits, who needs to be involved in the conversation, and the policies and systems needed to support it is something I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to learn in Zambia.”

Therese found an opportunity at LSHTM that was difficult to access elsewhere. As a child of refugees, many scholarships were unavailable because of her citizenship status. The LSHTM Scholarship Fund instead recognised her academic potential and commitment to public health. “This opportunity changed more than my education. It changed what I believed was possible for my future.”

Today, Therese hopes to help strengthen understanding of climate and health in Zambia and contribute to more resilient communities in the face of climate-related challenges. She reflects: “The impact I hope to have is to ensure no one is forced to leave their home.”

Together, Benedicta and Therese demonstrate that donor support does more than fund a year of study. It helps talented students develop the expertise, confidence and determination to improve health, strengthen communities and inspire others to achieve more than they thought possible.

Find out how you can transform lives through the LSHTM Scholarship Fund.