Matibabu College of Health Sciences spearheads the Nursing Promise Initiative, dedicated to establishing a clear educational pathway for local girls. Their unwavering commitment to enhancing curriculum, incorporating technology, refining skill practice through skills labs and practicums, providing mentorship, and ensuring an exceptional student experience has propelled the Mary Ann van Dam School of Nursing to be among the top 5 nursing colleges in Kenya.

In 2023, with generous support from the Nursing Promise Chapter, including Bridget Wylie, Mary Ann van Dam, friends, students, and families of Notre Dame Belmont, over $25,000 was raised to facilitate the installation of nine nursing textbooks onto iPads and computers generously donated by the chapter’s community. The change to digital textbooks not only enhances accessibility to learning but also saves trees and is cheaper than traditional paper textbooks. Moreover, the integration of technology is of paramount importance in equipping Kenyan nurses for an industry where technology is increasingly prevalent.

The Nursing Promise Initiative aims to train nurses from local villages who will serve in rural communities with nursing shortages. Together, we are creating a pathway from a village girls’ school through our nursing college and into well-paying nursing jobs.

Our strategy involves:

• Sparking girls’ interest in STEM through an annual STEM Camp
• Enhancing STEM instruction methods through a 2-year fellowship for the teachers
• Build a STEM Lab and provide equipment (computers and supplies)
• Providing full scholarships for Mary Ann van Dam School of Nursing ($1k per year)
• Engaging girls in mentoring and internship opportunities at Matibabu Hospital.

With the goal of transforming Lifunga Secondary School for Girls, which traditionally supports vulnerable students, into a pipeline to Matibabu College of Health Sciences to earn diplomas in Nursing, the Lifunga and Matibabu College of Health Sciences instructors are going back to school themselves.

After an exciting STEM Camp they enlisted in a two-year fellowship program with Teach United of Uganda, an organization committed to enhancing teaching methodologies to activate the academic success of all students.

The teachers will participate in bi-weekly training, design lessons together, and observe each other. Bridget Wylie, the leader of the Nursing Promise Chapter, successfully obtained laptops from Life 360 to equip each teacher with the necessary tools to bolster their fellowship and teaching techniques.

We are enthusiastic about witnessing the school’s advancement and eagerly anticipate collaborating each year at the Lifunga STEM Camp for Girls and witnessing their graduates start nursing college.

The Nursing Promise Initiative aims to train nurses from local villages who will serve in rural communities with nursing shortages. Together, we are creating a pathway from a village girls’ school through our nursing college and into well-paying nursing jobs.

Our strategy involves:

• Sparking girls’ interest in STEM through an annual STEM Camp
• Enhancing STEM instruction methods through a 2-year fellowship for the teachers
• Build a STEM Lab and provide equipment (computers and supplies)
• Providing full scholarships for Mary Ann van Dam School of Nursing ($1k per year)
• Engaging girls in mentoring and internship opportunities at Matibabu Hospital.

Scholarships

Imagine you are a young person who dreams of becoming a nurse but comes from an impoverished family. Your parents earn about $1-2 USD daily, and a year of college expenses is $1,000 USD. That dream might seem impossible.

Each year, generous donors sponsor scholarships to Matibabu College of Health Sciences. The scholarships cover tuition, textbooks, uniforms, test fees, and housing (the family must provide the food.)
Throughout a nurse’s career, Kenyan nurses work with over 100,000 patients.

Their children are 2xs as likely to graduate from college, transforming generational poverty.

Nursing College Programs:

• Community Nursing Diploma (3 years) = $3,000 US
  
• Theater Technician Certificate (2 years) = $2,000 US

To sponsor a scholarship in full or over time, please contact Diane Dodge, Executive Director of the Tiba Foundation, at diane.dodge@tibafoundation.org

The Nursing Promise Initiative aims to train nurses from local villages who will serve in rural communities with nursing shortages. Together, we are creating a pathway from a village girls’ school through our nursing college and into well-paying nursing jobs.

Our strategy involves:

• Sparking girls’ interest in STEM through an annual STEM Camp
• Enhancing STEM instruction methods through a 2-year fellowship for the teachers
• Build a STEM Lab and provide equipment (computers and supplies)
• Providing full scholarships for Mary Ann van Dam School of Nursing ($1k per year for two or three years)
• Engaging girls in mentoring and internship opportunities at Matibabu Hospital.

How Medical Education drives health and economic empowerment

Girls STEM Camp – Lifunga Promise Kickoff! July 2023

Led by dedicated volunteer educators Rebecca Girard and Abiya Baqui from Notre Dame Belmont in California, the Girls STEM camp cultivated scientific curiosity through hands-on experiments and teamwork, providing essential experiences for the 120 aspiring scientists in the 11th and 12th grades. Witnessing the students’ enthusiasm as they immersed themselves in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics was undeniably inspiring.

The STEM Camp initiated a 2-year fellowship for Lifunga teachers, who will collaborate with our partners at Teach United of Uganda. Teach United has spearheaded innovative teaching methods to facilitate learning for ALL students. The STEM Camp took place in a state-of-the-art Science Lab generously donated by Bridget Wylie and the Nursing Promise Chapter, which is now in its final stages of construction.

We aim to establish a pathway from a local public girls’ school to our nursing college. Scholarships will be granted to girls from Lifunga, with hopes that more will qualify for these opportunities now that the Nursing Promise is in full swing. Upon graduation from college, these young women will embark on a six-month paid internship at Matibabu Hospital.

The Nursing Promise Initiative aims to train nurses from local villages who will serve in rural communities with nursing shortages. Together, we are creating a pathway from a village girls’ school through our nursing college and into well-paying nursing jobs.

Our strategy involves:

• Sparking girls’ interest in STEM through an annual STEM Camp
• Enhancing STEM instruction methods through a 2-year fellowship for the teachers
• Build a STEM Lab and provide equipment (computers and supplies)
• Providing full scholarships for Mary Ann van Dam School of Nursing ($1k per year)
• Engaging girls in mentoring and internship opportunities at Matibabu Hospital.