Helping postgraduate students to prosper
After a successful career as a civil engineer, alumnus Mushtaq Karimjee (BSc 1971) wanted to give something back. Along with his wife Vilas, he founded the Fanaka Scholarship, meaning prosperity or success, which supports students from his home country of Tanzania to complete a postgraduate degree at Cardiff University.
“Cardiff University gave me a career – it opened up a lot of doors for me and I’ve been very fortunate. But I always felt an uneasiness about not going back to Tanzania. I stayed behind in the UK, but the Fanaka Scholarship is my way of giving something back to Tanzania,” Mr Karimjee explains.
“I wanted young, talented people from Tanzania to benefit from a Cardiff University education like I did, and take the skills and knowledge back home to benefit communities there.”
Godluck Bugeraha (MSc 2023) was a recipient of the Fanaka Scholarship which part-funded his master’s in Clinical Optometry. He wanted to continue his education in order to specialise in paediatric eyecare.
“I wanted to become an optometrist because it could mean saving someone’s vision. I decided to specialise in children’s eyesight because back home in Tanzania, there are children who have vision problems but so many eyecare practitioners don’t understand their conditions or know how to treat them.”
Godluck had previously intended to come to study in Cardiff a year earlier, however financial difficulties meant it wasn’t possible. “I was so happy to receive the Fanaka Scholarship. The scholarship reduced the financial burden on me and my family – I wouldn’t have been able to come and study when I did without it.”
As well as returning home to work, Godluck hopes to teach and share his knowledge with the next generation, so Tanzania has even more qualified optometrists. “I’m so grateful to Mr and Mrs Karimjee. Thanks to them, I can help people back home regain their vision and their lives. Scholarships like this are so helpful for people like me and will create a ripple effect into the future. Maybe in a few years, I can be in the Karimjees’ shoes, helping someone else who was in my position.”
“Life has been good to me, so I wanted to give something back. I feel very proud to know that Godluck is going back to help and teach others.”
Helping Cardiff students to realise their full potential
Students are at the heart of Cardiff University, but financial challenges can prevent the best and brightest minds from accessing the education and opportunities they deserve. Thanks to generous donations, countless students have been given the financial security to start or continue their studies and develop the skills and experience they need for life after university.
By funding a Scholarship or bursary, or making a donation towards student support at Cardiff, you’re giving the next generation of Cardiff alumni the foundation to flourish. Find out more about how you can make a difference to students at Cardiff.
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