LILONGWE:Four Malawian students have left the country to study in Israel on a fully funded scholarship program from Rotary club of Lilongwe.
Some of the partners in the program are the foundation for a Smoke Free World (FSFW) and Telaviv University.
The students are Sydney Chawinga, Pachalo Chima, Prisca Chifisi and Mphatso Kalawe.
They were selected from various higher learning institutions including Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) and Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS).
Speaking during departure of the students at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) on Wednesday, Rotary Club of Lilongwe Director of Vocational Services Rotarian Dominic Mang’anda said the students have been awarded the scholarship to study for the Master of Arts in developing countries.
Mang’anda said the program mainly looks at agricultural transformation by making sure that there are right innovations and technologies to support smallholder and commercial farmers.
He said the program was chosen because it is in line with Malawi 2063 agenda that promotes agriculture industrialization and also innovation.
“The Rotary Club of Lilongwe made an application for a grant to the FSFW which was successful. So it is a fully sponsored program by the FSFW.As the Rotary club of Lilongwe we are managing the administrative aspects of the program.
“The students were selected after meeting all the requirements for the program, Malawi being agro-based country they were supposed to show interest innovation and also considering that the program target agriculture innovation, out of 14 students, only four made it,” he said.
However, Mang’anda said Israel being an advanced country in terms of agriculture innovations, they are optimistic that whatever the students will learn in the entire duration of their studies will benefit farmers in the country.
He further advised the students to carry Malawi’s flag and work extra hard to attain the desired outcome of their studies.
In his remarks, one of the students Pachalo Chima said he is going to Israel for a serious business and he will work hard to bring out the best from his studies.
He said apart from learning different things, he is also going to Israel to showcase Malawi’s beautiful culture.
Prisca Chifisi also concurred with Chima saying she is going to Israel as a Malawian youth ambassador and Malawians should expect the best.
She added that all the skills and innovations that will be acquired in her studies will benefit Malawi as a country.
“I want to learn more about innovations and how Malawi can achieve sustainable development goals on how we can end poverty and achieve zero hunger and also have affordable energy. Malawians should expect the best from me because the innovations that I will learn there will be used here,” she said. (M24)