The EXCELLENTIA program: Encouraging academic excellence and raising awareness of sickle cell disease
The Denise NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI Foundation spares no effort to promote academic excellence among young people in Haut Katanga. During a lunch organized at the Pullman Hotel Lubumbashi, the President of the foundation brought together around 180 students from 20 schools in the region to present the EXCELLENTIA program to them.
The objective of this event was to raise awareness among students about this program which encourages academic excellence and offers scholarships to winners of the state exam who have achieved at least 85%. The First Lady stressed the importance of education in the development of the country and encouraged young people to surpass themselves to obtain these opportunities to continue their university studies, whether in local establishments or abroad.
But this was not the only subject discussed during this meeting. Sickle cell anemia, the first genetic disease in the world, was also discussed. Doctor Kadhy NSINGI led an information session to raise awareness among students about the harmful effects of this disease and encourage them to get tested. The First Lady stressed the importance of prevention and the fight against sickle cell anemia, and announced that screening kits will soon be made available to students in certain hospitals in Lubumbashi.
To illustrate the positive impact of the EXCELLENTIA program, some scholarship recipients from the first edition were present at the event. Their academic success served as a concrete example for future winners and thus reinforced the program’s ambition to reward academic excellence.
Indeed, since its creation, the EXCELLENTIA program has already awarded scholarships to 241 students, 82 of whom are studying abroad, notably in Morocco, France and the United States, and 159 benefit from local scholarships. The long-term objective is to award 1000 local scholarships and 100 international scholarships over a period of 10 years.
The Denise NYAKERU TSHISEKEDI Foundation thus continues to play a key role in the field of education by encouraging academic excellence and raising awareness among young people of important health issues such as sickle cell disease. Through these actions, it contributes to training the country’s future elite and creating the conditions conducive to remarkable development in the Democratic Republic of Congo.