The University of Gondar’s Scholars Program conducted life skills training for Scholars as part of the program’s institutional development strategy. The program, which is geared towards new Scholars, and will span 9 days, allows newcomers to get valuable insight into self-awareness, goal setting, communication skills (English), financial literacy and other pertinent topics. 59 Mastercard Foundation Scholars are taking part in the program at the University of Gondar’s Maraki campus. In addition to this the program office also organized a CBR certificate program for second year and above Scholars which is a first of its kind in Ethiopia.
The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at UoG is in its sixth year, and it is on track to serve the talented sector of underprivileged populations. The Scholars Program aims to uplift and build Africa’s next generation of transformative leaders, whether in Ethiopia or other bordering nations.
However, these individuals would need to be cultivated from the moment they reach the University of Gondar in order to do so. As a result, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program Office at the University of Gondar offers Life Skills trainings that cover a wide range of today’s important concerns in the hopes that the Scholars would grow into extraordinary individuals in the future. In addition to the skills, they will be learning they are also given the opportunity to learn about the JAWS software. JAWS is a computer screen reader program for Microsoft Windows that allows blind and visually impaired users to read the screen either with a text-to-speech output or by a refreshable Braille display.
In addition to life skills training for first year scholars, second year and above are engaged in CBR (Community Based Rehabilitation) certificate program. The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at the University of Gondar is in the process of training Scholars in the techniques of Community Based Rehabilitation. The CBR training, which will be held for subsequent weeks, is a certificate-based program that will take the Scholars through rigorous training via five comprehensive modules.
Finally, the program will provide the Scholars with an avenue and path to advance into CBR management roles, allowing them to contribute to community-based rehabilitation while also improving the quality of life for Ethiopians with disabilities.
