DISTANCE LEARNING SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY

DEVELOPMENT IMPACT
Commonwealth Scholarships in the UK is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth &
Development Office (FCDO). An important selection criterion is a potential contribution that
you will make to international development if you are awarded a scholarship. Provide a
Development Impact statement in 4 parts explaining:
1. How your proposed study relates to:
a) the theme under which the course has been categorized
b) development issues at the global, national, and local level
c) and development issues connected to your chosen CSC theme and the wider sector

Development Impact part 1 -200words

Africa like the rest of the world has been facing a wide range of public health challenges from
infectious to a growing burden of non-infectious diseases. Other problems in Africa like bad
government policies, poverty, and conflicts have complicated the efforts to address these
issues. Strengthening the health systems among low and middle-income countries includes
growing the public health professionals community who are the key players in protecting and
promoting the health of the communities.
At the global level, my study in public health will be of great importance in strengthening the
efforts for achieving major global health goals with a special focus on vector-borne disease.
At the national and community level the skills and knowledge acquired during my studies will
be of great use in strengthening the research and health innovation industry. In addition, in
2020 WHO reported the persisting weakness in the research and development industry among
low- and middle-income countries, the report identified training and support of the health
workers community as one of the options for improvement.
In a wider context, the development in public health will lead to the achievement of the third
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).
2. How you intend to apply your new skills and qualifications once your course ends
Development Impact part 2-100words
I am intending to use my public health skills to support innovation efforts in the control of
vector-borne diseases by working in collaboration with different stakeholders from Non-
Governmental Organizations to the responsible local government authorities. The first area in
which my skills will be applicable is research because public health research is the core of public
health innovation. The second area is in the formulation of sustainable policies related to the
control of vector-borne diseases and the third area is in the implementation of vector-borne
diseases eradication and elimination programs.

3. What you expect will change in development terms following your studies, including:
a) the outcomes that you aim to achieve
b) the timeframe for their implementation
c) who the beneficiaries will be
Development Impact part 3 -250words
Because research is a core to public health, I am expecting the following i) The operational and
technical weaknesses in the existing eradication methods will be identified and the improved
modifications will be put in place, ii) The environmental changes concerning the available
methods will be identified and the new effective methods will be designed to counteract the
effect of changes, iii)The involvement of the community will be assessed and the improvements
will be done whenever significant. From the above outcomes, the final output will be improved
existing methods and discovery of the new methods which corresponds with the up-to-date
needs for the eradication of vector-borne diseases.
Policy formulation is another area where I will support the relevant authorities in putting down
the appropriate evidence-based policies. The improved national health policy will enable the
achievement of different national and international vector-borne diseases to control strategies,
Global Vector Response 2017-2030 as one of them.
My goals are to support the achievement of the Global Vector Response goals which are i)
Reduction of the mortality due to vector-borne diseases relative to 2016 to at least 75% by
2030, ii) Reduction of the case incidence due to vector-borne diseases globally relative to 2016
to at least 60% by 2030 and iii) To prevent epidemics of vector-borne diseases in all countries
by 2030. Because low-income communities are highly vulnerable to vector-borne diseases my
skills will be of high benefit to them.
4. How the impact of your work could be best measured
Development Impact part 4 -100words
The impact of my work can be measured by looking at i) Mortality rate due to vector-borne
diseases relative to 2016, ii) Incidence rate due to vector-borne diseases relative to 2016, and
iii) Occurrence rate of vector-borne diseases epidemics. These parameters can be measured at
the global, national or local level.

CAREER PLANS
The selection panel will want to understand how your proposed study will assist you in your
career.
Describe the skills that you expect to gain from this scholarship, and your career plans once
you return home afterward.

Objectives during the award -250words

During the studies, my first and foremost objective is to gain core competency in vector-borne
diseases in the context of public health, this will create my career path towards becoming a
control specialist of human disease-transmitting vectors. Having obtained enough knowledge
during my working experiences and my undergraduate studies on laboratory diagnosis of
vector-borne diseases it is time for me to expand my knowledge to the community level. The
elective courses which are offered in universities will enhance my understanding of cross-
cutting disciplines and expand the learning experience about vector-borne diseases. My second
objective will be to endorse multicultural competency and promote diversity of thoughts,
gender, and ethnicity. Multiculturalism entails the provision of service without segregation,
through my studies I will learn different approaches to implementing public health programs
among diverse communities. The third objective of my studies will be to network with a diverse
group of CSC commonwealth scholars around the world who have been funded by the UK
government to pursue their studies. Through the commonwealth alumni network, I will be able
to interact and share ideas with the group of talented individuals who are working to make an
impact across the globe, the network will support my work and career development. My fourth
objective will be to get an opportunity to study distance learning taught Masters of Public
Health with one of the top universities in the UK. The universities in the UK have since been the
benchmark for the high academic standards, on top of that UK has a multicultural environment
that promotes coexistence.
Career plans in the 5 years following the award -250words
Immediately after the studies, I will be back to my home country to add efforts in the
eradication of vector-borne diseases. Tanzania is one of the low- and middle-income countries
in which there is a high demand for public health professionals who are the main drivers of
infectious disease eradication efforts. As the result of this demand, I will commit my first three
years after my studies to work within the NGOs or government research and development
institutions in Tanzania to support both laboratory and field-based implementation of projects.
Through the implementation of projects, I will also explore the opportunities to expand my
networking with public health and other health care professionals. I will use public platform
events like seminars, webinars, and conferences to advise the government authorities about
the appropriate health policies. The fourth and fifth year after my studies will be for me to take
the next step towards the development of my career which is to take my Ph.D. degree which
will allow me to be a vector control research expert. The control of the disease-transmitting
vectors has been my dream career since I was young, getting the opportunity to specialize in
this discipline will fulfill my dream of leading the research projects which will result in the
development of sustainable, universal, and environmentally friendly vector control tools. I
prefer traditional research-based doctoral programs which will strengthen my current research
skills and will give me solitary academic experience which will form a research-friendly
professional development.

Long-term Career Plans -250words

My long-term career goal is to be an expert and leader in the control of vector-borne diseases.
I want to use my research expertise to support the formulation of strong, and consistent health
policies related to the control of vector-borne diseases. My specific goals for the achievement
of the broad objective are;
To be a public health professional with a special focus on vector control; Insects are the major
vectors of human diseases, they transmit disease causative agents like viruses, bacteria, and
protozoans that lead to a high burden of illness and deaths. My primary target will be the
common and fatal vector-borne diseases, especially mosquito-transmitted diseases like
Malaria, Dengue, and Lymphatic filariasis the diseases that are highly prevalent in low-and
middle-income countries.
To lead an innovative research and development institution; Science and technology have so far
played a greater role in vector control, Long-Lasting Insecticidal Nets (LLIN), and Insecticidal
Residual Spraying (IRS) are a few examples of how science is very important against mosquito
control. These technologies and the new ones are becoming more expensive leading to higher
funding demands hence there is a need for firm leaders who can facilitate funding management
across R&D institutions.
To support the formulation of sustainable health policies in low- and middle-income countries;
Sustainable and right policies have been identified as one of the strategies for the eradication of
vector-borne diseases by the World Health Organization, this is more important in poor
countries where political and governance systems are poor.

Personal Statement and Voluntary and Leadership Experience

Summarise how your background has encouraged you to want to make an impact in your
home country. You should indicate areas in which you have already contributed, such as
having overcome any personal or community barriers to or in higher education

Personal Statement -500words
As I am reflecting on my health scientist career and looking forward to being a public health
professional, hard work and enthusiasm brought me this far. Back in my early years when I was
living with my family in a rural village in Tanzania, there was illness after illness and death after
another death. I had questions like are these health issues common among all communities?
Are there any ways to improve the situation? Why do these problems exist? And so many
questions remained unanswered. I was then living with both of my parents who only had
primary school education, they were just peasants who used to depend on milk from two cows
as an income. I was used to going for farm work to afford to pay the school fees, but it became
much harder when my father passed away in a tragic car accident in 2012 when I was 19 years
old. It was a career-defining moment because I was about to go for higher secondary education
which demanded much higher costs. My mother then sold our only piece of land that made me
complete my secondary education before joining college where the government provided me
with a higher education loan.
It was not a hard decision for me to join the medical college as I was passionate to learn about
diseases diagnosis, I was admitted to pursue a bachelor’s degree in health laboratory science.
During my undergraduate studies, I desperately learned and practiced disease diagnosis and
treatment despite challenges during studies due to high living expenses demands. Clinical
rotations and field attachments were integral to my basic understanding of diseases, I was
exposed to the patient sample processing and reporting skills. Apart from the technical skills I
also discovered that the diseases can be efficiently combated through field-based research, this
changed my studies focus to research which is now partly my long-term career pathway.
My first working experience was with the Tanzanian national hospital (Muhimbili), I was
employed as an intern scientist for one year. Together with its core activities of providing health
care to the sick, Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) also integrates different research programs
into its daily operations, this was the opportunity for me to practice research methods. I was
involved in data collection, analysis, and findings reporting. I worked with the local hospital as
the parasitology head of the unit after the internship period. I was then employed with Africa
Technical Research Center, a Research and Development institution in Tanzania. As a technical
supervisor in the Vector Control Unit, I have developed strong abilities in vector control
innovations and fostered a reputation as a key contributor through leadership and problem-
solving skills.
Due to the expensive nature of the postgraduate studies, I cannot afford to pay for my studies, I
have sincerely taken the commonwealth scholarship application as an opportunity to fulfill my
long-term dreams of being a public health professional.

Summarize how you have engaged in voluntary activities and the opportunities you have had
to demonstrate leadership

Voluntary and Leadership Experience-500words

I first recall back to my secondary school days, we only had one physics teacher who was
supposed to attend all four classes with more than 300 students, this led us to the incompletion
of the required topics. Luckily! Our school was having equipped stationary which had all the
required books, I used this opportunity to learn the topics on my own during extra and free
time. After having basic skills, I had to teach my classmates what I have learned, this enabled all
of us to get a basic understanding of the topics and share the question-solving skills and
technics. My other voluntary experience was with the Tanzanian National Blood Transfusion
Service (NBTS) during the year 2019. At NBTS I was playing the role of laboratory technician, my
main responsibilities were to check the amount of blood in a blood donor before donation and
screening the donated blood before transfusion. I did this voluntarily across different regions of
Tanzania for three months during my internship.
My leadership experience started during my secondary school education when I was an
academic leader for two years, unfortunately, I was not a person who run for positions instead
the people around me form a mutual agreement and select me as their leader because of my
academic brilliance. My first professional leadership experience was being a parasitology head
of department at a Maranatha hospital clinical laboratory (The local health center in southern
Tanzania). It was a challenging experience because it required me to do both management and
technical responsibilities due to the shortage of staff. Planning, overseeing, and reporting all of
the laboratory operations at the department were some of my management responsibilities.
On the technical side, I was responsible for sample collection, analysis, and reporting diagnosis
results to physicians. To link the interaction between different disciplines of laboratory
scientists and physicians was one of the best experiences during this time. I was also made to
meet with different kinds of patients with diverging personal behaviors, cultures, and
diagnoses, this taught me on handling diversity. My other leadership experience was being a
supervisor and team leader of the vector control team at Africa Technical Research Centre
(ATRC), this is also my current position. ATRC is the research and development institution
where different vector control products are tested before they can be licensed by the
authorities for use. I am responsible for co-operating with top management, the production
team, and other ATRC units on making sure the product testing steps are followed and
maintained as per WHO guidelines. Training the technical team on the new testing methods,
data processing, and maintaining accurate records of data as well as drafting test reports are
among my other responsibilities. I am also in charge of day-to-day testing procedures at the
vector control laboratory, it is my duty to ensure that all requirements for testing are in place in
a timely manner. In addition, at ATRC, I have experienced working in a more multicultural
environment as compared to previous experiences.

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