Improving life situations through scholarship programs - The case of Tanzanian beneficiaries

Sammanfattning: The fourth goal of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development regards Quality education, aiming to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all". Globally, enrollment in university education is increasing. However, the sub-Saharan Africa region is lacking behind and with 9% it has the lowest global gross enrollment rate (GER). Low income in combination with relatively high tuition fees makes it difficult for financially disadvantaged students to complete their university studies. Scholarship programs for financially needy students are one way of dealing with this challenge and making education accessible for all. The scope of this project is to investigate scholarship programs’ contribution to improved life situations in Tanzania. For this, three main themes are explored: professional life, financial support, and societal change. The research is done through a study with the non-profit case organization Help to Help. Quantitative and qualitative data regarding former scholarship beneficiaries is collected through a digital questionnaire and follow-up interviews conducted on-site in Tanzania. The most important finding from the study is that the scholarship is crucial for completing studies at the university level for financially needy students. The university education that it enables has a major impact on the professional life of the recipients, which can be exemplified by the finding that almost none would have gotten their current employment without a university degree. Further, it contributes to the graduates’ possibilities to financially support their extended family. On average, each graduate supports 2.6 individuals with expenses that directly (e.g., tuition fees) or indirectly (e.g., food and accommodation) enable education. Graduates create a positive change in society, by for example sharing knowledge. Altogether, this indicates that scholarship programs for financially needy students in developing countries are an efficient tool contributing to meeting the fourth sustainable development goal Quality education.