A life transformed – Aniceth Donard

With the launch of our appeal – the Aniceth Donard Fund – it is necessary to provide the background to this remarkable young man in whose name the fund was first launched four years ago.

Aniceth Donard, from Kagera region, Tanzania, has been supported by ACT from primary school and is now in his fourth year at medical school. It has been a pleasure to support Aniceth and help facilitate opportunities he otherwise would not have had access to.

Aniceth’s story

Aniceth was born in 1994 in a small Village called Nyamirembe in Chato District, Geita Region. Unfortunately, his father passed away when he was very young, leaving his mother to look after him and his siblings by herself. Aniceth’s mum was unable to earn a stable income to support the basic needs of her and her children, and as a result his education was put in jeopardy, as he sometimes had to miss school so he could work to support his family.

In 2015, Aniceth came to the attention of our partners Justice & Peace as a promising student who needed support to sustain him and be able to go through his education. ACT helped by paying his school fees, providing school uniform, shoes and supplying materials needed for his schoolwork. Like the many other children that ACT was supporting in the region, he and his family were registered for the community health insurance fund which provides each family access to medical prescriptions at no additional costs. The family was also giving a goat as part of the ACT sustainable income generation activity.

With support for him and his family, Aniceth was able to concentrate on his schoolwork which blossomed, and he began to excel! He is the first in his family to attend secondary school where in his final year he was appointed the head prefect. He’s the first person from his village to go on to sixth form education and the first in the wider community to study at university and read medicine. An achievement that has brought him into limelight in the community which he visits when he has time off from his studies at St. Joseph University College of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam. He has set his focus on the higher goal of specialising in the surgical field, specifically as a neurosurgeon, when he graduates from medical school.

Mentoring

On the few short breaks he is allowed from medical school, Aniceth travels the nearly one thousand kilometre and 19 hours road trip from Dar es Salaam to his village in Chato district to visit his mother and siblings. He then dedicates time to give talks to the students at his former school and other young ACT beneficiaries in the community.  He tells them about his life and experiences as a university student in the large city of Dar es Salaam. He shares about his successes but also the challenges he has overcome. He hopes that this open communication about his own path will encourage other disadvantaged children and orphans and show “that it is possible to overcome life circumstances and achieve their dreams in life.”

Aniceth mentoring children at a secondary school in Chato district, Tanzania.

“Without ACT support it would not have been possible. I thank you with all my heart.”  

– Aniceth

Studying medicine is an expensive degree in most countries all over the world. In poorer nations studying medicine can be out of reach for poor children because it is unaffordable. In many African countries where the government subsidise the fees, students must bear the cost of living including accommodation, food and transport and the course can vary from 5 to 7 years. The cost is such that it discourages many and particularly the poor from wanting to study medicine. Without ACT support Aniceth had considered dropping out from studying medicine. Total cost of a medical school degree in Tanzania as in many other African countries is about £1,250 a year for the duration of a 5-year course.

The Aniceth Donard Fund

Aniceth with an orphan he is mentoring in his village in Chato district.

ACT set up this fund in 2018 to raise funds to cover Aniceth’s medical school fees and support. Since then, we have extended the aim of the fund to cover the cost of medical school study for all ACT beneficiary children and orphans that receive admission to study medicine at an African university.

Medicine is a much-needed profession, particularly in many parts of Africa. According to data from the WHO, there is 1 doctor for every 5,000 people in Africa.  With this fund we will be able to encourage many other disadvantaged young people in the African countries where work to consider this commendable career path.

Please consider making a donation and help unleash the potential of many aspiring and capable young but disadvantaged young people in Africa. To donate please click here.