Stichting i-STEP-up

15/11/2025

iSTEPup student overview: 70 students in 10 countries!

The iSTEPup Foundation supports 70 students with a scholarship, which enables them to realize their dream of becoming a healthcare professional! In 10 different countries in Africa and South America, we currently support 23 nurses and midwifes, 8 clinical officers, 5 pharmacists and 3 doctors in training. More and more students have completed their studies and are now working as a healthcare professional in their own country!
Updates from students can be found on the personal pages of our students. For a student overview and individual pages of all iSTEPup students:

www.i-step-up.com/what-we-do/students/?lang=en

08/11/2025

New student: Peace Mwale, Pharmacy, Malawi

"As a student my purpose is to grow, learn and gain knowledge that will help me to bring a change in my community. Through my education I will be able to participate and contribute to some essential ideas that will help me to make a positive difference in my community. I am passionate about health, education and environmental conservation. In addition to that, I am also passionate in helping others who are struggling with life by giving them advice. Your support has been a support and a miracle in helping me overcome challenges and stay focused on my objectives."

Buddy Bente: "Since 2020 I am working in Mangochi. Here I have met many young people with a lot of potential to support the health care system in the future. Unfortunately, due to financial hardship, many of them never have the opportunity to make it. Peace is one of them. Within her family they are always supporting others and being there for families in need but unfortunately they could not manage to get Peace to a next education and this opportunity through iSTEPup foundation is going to make a big impact not only on the family, but also all the people she will help."

Peace's application was discussed in June 2025 during our application selection day. With the help of iSTEPup, Peace can continue her study to become a Pharmacist!

www.i-step-up.com/what-we-do/students/peace-mwale/?lang=en

01/11/2025

New email address: apply@i-step-up.com

Stichting iSTEPup heeft een nieuw e-mailadres voor het aanvragen van een studiebeurs: apply@i-step-up.com ! Vanaf nu kunnen alle nieuwe aanvragen worden ingediend via dit e-mailadres.
Let op: De aanmeldingsperiode voor het jaar 2025 is inmiddels gesloten. Alle nieuwe aanvragen die vanaf dit moment binnenkomen, zullen worden meegenomen in de eindbeoordeling die plaatsvindt in juni 2026.
Meer weten over de voorwaarden en het proces van aanmelding? Bezoek dan onze website!

The iSTEPup Foundation has a new email address for submitting scholarship applications: apply@i-step-up.com ! From now on, all new applications should be sent to this address.
Please note that the application period for 2025 has now closed. Any new submissions received from this point onward will be included in the final evaluation round scheduled for June 2026.
To learn more about the eligibility criteria and the application process, please visit our website:

www.i-step-up.com/apply

25/10/2025

New student: Mary Lukali, Nursing&Midwifery, Malawi

"I am a first born in a family of four children where my mother struggles to assist us by doing piece work like selling tomatoes, she is unable to support me financially in my academics. In our country [Malawi], girls who do not go to school often marry early and enter their childbearing years at a young age. I want to continue my education so that I may contribute to the health of my community. Thank you for believing in me and investing in my education, I promise to work hard, uphold the values of the nursing and midwifery profession and one day, give back to others as you have done for me."

Buddy Caillyn: "I lived in Nkhoma, Malawi and taught Midwifery at the local college where Mary studies. On the wards, I saw Mary’s passion for caring for others. She always had a smile on her face and was willing to learn. Mary wants to become the best nurse and midwife so that she may serve others in her community. In supporting her studies, we are not only investing in her education, but we are also uplifting the health of all the patients she will care for during her career."

Mary's application was discussed in June 2025 during our application selection day. With the help of iSTEPup, Mary can continue her study to become a nurse!

www.i-step-up.com/what-we-do/students/mary-lukali/?lang=en

25/10/2025

New student: Promise Ziyaya, Clinical Medicine, Malawi

"Our Malawian training institutions, their tuition fees and addition fees (food and accommodation) are huge, that my parents can hardly afford. So, if it were not for iSTEPup Foundation to favourably consider my scholarship application and offer me that scholarship, I would have definitely dropped out from this course, based on my parents’ failure to financially support my studies. But that now that I’ve been considered for this scholarship, I’m now happy and immensely hopeful that my dreams to become a young female Clinical Officer will come true, because of iSTEPup foundation scholarship."

Buddy Yekta: "I met Promise and her family in Nkhoma, our lovely village. She is a bright clinical officer to become and her parents are my great co workers in the hospital. I am very happy to be a buddy for Promise. Thankyou iStepup to make this possible!"

Promise's application was discussed in June 2025 during our application selection day. With the help of iSTEPup, Promise can continue her study to become a clinical officer!

www.i-step-up.com/what-we-do/students/promise-ziyaya/?lang=en

16/10/2025

Student update: Goodluck Banda, Nursing, Malawi

"Currently, I am stationed at Mangochi District Hospital, where I am undertaking my practical sessions focusing on Family Planning, Medical and Surgical Nursing, Under-five care, and STI management. I anticipate completing my studies in February 2027."

www.i-step-up.com/what-we-do/students/goodluck-banda/?lang=en

09/10/2025

Student Update: Sarah Steven Masalu, Pharmacy, Tanzania

"I would like to say thanks for the support you are showing to me
towards to accomplish my dreams where by you have helped me in one way another through your sponsership in paying the school fees without your spounser and support it could be not easy for
me to continue with my studies at Padre Pio College.
Now I am in the last year (3rd year) of my studies where by my progressions are good and we are looking forward to start the field rotations. After completing my diploma I would like to study a degree where by I am still in need of your support so that I can accomplish my plan so that I will be more competence in helping the lives of the people who need medical attention."

www.i-step-up.com/what-we-do/students/sarah-steven-masalu/?lang=en

01/10/2025

Student Update, Aminata Koroma, Nursing, Sierra Leone:

“With my new carrier everything is going on very well. I don’t even know how to express my sincerity, your programme will help me to
become great in my community and inspirational to others.
Finally, with this kind of sponsorship, I will be able to take part in the global health in order to save lives, allivate suffering and promote good and meaningful into the nursing profession."

www.i-step-up.com/what-we-do/students/aminata-santigie-koroma/?lang=en

Personal information Name: Aminata Santigie Koroma Date of Birth: 6th November, 1985 Country: Sierra Leone Study: Nursing Study information Study: Diploma in Nursing (SRN) University: Tonkolili District College of Health Science Location: Masanga Village, Tonkolili District Sierra Leone Start date:....

20/09/2025

Student Update Charity Mwai Widrom, Clinical Officer, Malawi

"I have written this report to express my gratitude for what you have been doing for me since September, 2024. I am very grateful for it and I am really pleased to have your help. I launched my second year in September, 2024. Second semester of my second year started in February this year, we had a lot of training in this
semester. We did Sexual Transmitted Infection training in our first week, Emergency Training and Triage in second week, Anti-retroviral training in our third week. It was really nice training
as such I gained practical skills of how I can manage emergencies.
After that, I was in my clinical allocations at district hospital for 10 weeks then for psychiatry training for two weeks, I will also do health center management for four weeks and then I’ll have to write end of semester examination."

www.i-step-up.com/what-we-do/students/charity-mwai-widrom/?lang=en

12/09/2025

Student Update Magreth Sadock Gervas, Pharmacy, Tanzania

“Since last October, I have started my studies in pharmaceutical sciences in Kigoma town. I am forever grateful to the support from iStepUp which has enabled me to pursue my dreams of becoming a pharmacist. I have passed all the exams for the first semester; the two exams from the college and one external final exam. At the beginning of this May I started on the second semester and so far things are going well. I am confident that by hard work and dedication I will make it through my studies. "

www.i-step-up.com/what-we-do/students/magreth-sadock-gervas/?lang=en

04/09/2025

Hulp gevraagd! / We need your help! (English below)

Reis jij binnenkort naar Malawi en heb je nog ruimte over in je koffer? Wij zoeken iemand die vanuit Nederland een laptop wil meenemen voor een student uit het iSTEPup programma, die in Malawi studeert (voorkeur voor Blantyre / Thyolo District). Kun jij ons helpen; reageer op dit bericht of stuur een mail naar info@i-step-up.com Dankjewel!

We are looking for someone who can bring a laptop from the Netherlands to a student in Malawi. Are you traveling to Malawi within the next weeks or months (Blantyre / Thyolo District)? Please reply to this message or send an email to info@i-step-up.com . Thank you in advance!

25/08/2025

Student Update: Moses Ben Machaka, Clinical Officer, Malawi

"I was in Kasama General Hospital for the attachments (Junior Clerkship for 4 months). It was a wonderful experience collecting history and examinating patients and having tutorials at some point assisting operations. After our attachments we wrote our examination and I passed, but I wasn't really happy with the results, because I think I could have done better.

During the holiday, my buddy Dr Milou, informed me that she will be in Malawi for Point of care Ultrasound scanning (POCUS) and I was happy to attend to that training it enhances my experience and skills in the treatment of patients. And the time I went back to my workplace, I could do Ultrasound scanning to check for pleural effusion. I've learnt a lot from her visit to Malawi. Attached is a picture together after getting our certificates.
Currently, I am in Zambia preparing to go for our last attachments (Senior Clerkship for 9 months)."

www.i-step-up.com/what-we-do/students/moses-ben-machaka/?lang=en