Scholarship / Motivation Letter for Matriculation and for ICP scholarship [3]

Letter of Motivation

I write to express my interest in the Masters of Epidemiology degree course offered by the University of Antwerp and funding support through the VLIR-UOS Scholarship. My research interest is in children and adolescents, specifically in understanding the effect of childhood trauma on their health and development. I hope to research and design targeted interventions that aim to improve the well-being of children and adolescents who have extreme traumatic experiences. I am particularly keen to study at Antwerp because of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences' research interests and both the quantitative and qualitative focus of the Master's degree and the breadth of subject area covered. The international reputation of the faculty attracts such a variety of students with diverse backgrounds and I believe it will be a stimulating environment in which to study at the masters' level. A master's degree in epidemiology at the University of Antwerp will be an excellent opportunity to understand the essential concepts and dimensions necessary for addressing complex global health problems in my country and other low and middle-income countries.

My undergraduate degree in Geographic Information Science (GIS) introduced me to diverse fields in which GIS can be applied, including epidemiology, statistics, and public health. These health-related courses sparked my curiosity for research aimed at improving health outcomes through evidence-based research. In pursuit of my research goals, I successfully applied for a competitive post-graduate research fellowship offered by the XXX hosted by the XXX. During the fellowship, I wrote three scientific papers, which are under review for publication. Two of the papers are empirical studies on incidence, risk factors, hotspots/clustering analysis, spatial distribution) and functional outcomes of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in Children and adolescents. The other is a systematic review and a meta-analysis on TBI incidence in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) whose protocol is published at (crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=XXX). The studies highlighted that TBI was a risk factor significantly associated with poor outcomes such as developing seizures and subsequent epilepsy. TBI is common in rural areas, yet most cases are preventable. This calls for public policies and directed efforts to prevent TBI and subsequently reduce TBI-associated disability and mortality.

After successfully completing the scholarship, I joined The XXX University, XXX as a research assistant an opportunity that has fostered my personal and professional growth. Currently, I coordinate a project funded by the European Commission (EC) where we are seeking to quantify the burden of mental health problems among adolescents in the context of COVID- 19 in two East African countries (Kenya and Uganda). In this line of work, we have partnered with Civil Society Organizations (CSO) to design and implement projects that aim to improve the wellbeing of adolescents within the two countries. Additionally, I have worked with colleagues from the XXX and XXX to evaluate models that predict poor nutrition status of pregnant Kenyan women during the COVID- 19 pandemic.

The skills I have acquired in research, epidemiology, statistics, data analysis, and professional experience have adequately prepared me for postgraduate studies in epidemiology. The comprehensive program including core and elective modules, and research project that the Masters of Epidemiology program offers will provide advanced training in conducting evidence-based research. With expertise, skills gained, and networks built through the degree, I am confident I will conduct cutting-edge research and design programmes to improve the health of children and adolescents who have faced extreme adversity in my country and other LMICs. I will greatly appreciate your consideration for admission and for the scholarship.

Scholarship / Development essay for the next commonwealth scholarship window 2022-2023 [3]

scholarship application essay

I am looking forward to tendering my application for the next commonwealth scholarship window for 2022-2023. I want to give sufficient time for preparing my essays and I will appreciate your suggestions in the development impact essay below.

The UNITED NATIONS sustainable goal 16.2 highlight the need "to end abuse, exploitation trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children". Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 1 billion children have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence in the past year. In Kenya, a national survey done by UNICEF dubbed the 2019 Violence Against Children Survey (VACS) found that half the Kenyan children face violence. According to the VACS report, some forms of violence reported by 13 to 17-year-old adolescents have increased, including unwanted attempted sex (up from 3.3 to 8.5 percent) and physical violence (up from 17.8 to 36.8 percent).

Although the trend among the adolescent might not be encouraging, it sparks a strong desire to me to make a positive impact in the lives of boys and girls. Working at XXX University as a research assistant, we reported the effect of extreme adversity on the following adolescent developmental outcomes (cognitive development, socio-emotional development, behavioral development, mental health, academic outcomes, physical development). A master's degree in global health at QMU under the theme of strengthening health system capacity will be a great opportunity for me to gain expertise and develop knowledge to improve adolescents' health and social well-being with adversities through developing policies, programs, and programs interventions, and health systems.

The course will provide me with a solid grasp of emerging global health issues and development challenges and provide me with the prerequisites needed to make a positive impact on the lives of adolescents not only locally but also nationally, regionally, and worldwide. Upon completing my studies, I will publish my postgraduate research project within the first two months to inform on interventions for children and adolescents who have faced adversity in low and middle-income countries. I will carry out a situation analysis to synthesize evidence on national priorities, opportunities, and evidence gaps concerning adolescents living in adversity. I will carry out a mapping exercise to identify hotspots of geographic zones in Kenya in which violence among children is prevalent to inform targeted interventions.

Upon returning to Kenya, I hope to continue working with XXX University- Kenya as a research associate, to design and implement projects that address adversities among children. I will also seek collaboration effort with the governments' "Stop it, stop it" campaign to push it further to reach those on the ground. Together with other partners, I will organize outreach programs to implement evidence-based prevention responses and strategies.

The expected outcomes will be a reduction and eradication of violence in the country and an improvement of the health and social wellbeing of adolescents who have faced adversity. My project will be measured by UNICEF reports indicating a reduction and eradication of violence in counties with high prevalence. I will constantly use social media and start a website to share the work's output and progress, outlining challenges and successes. I will also regularly publish articles to address violence against children. I will generate reports and policy briefs which will be shared with development partners such as DFID.