Chronicle Editor
Bongani Ndlovu, Chronicle Reporter
WHILE some young people dream of leaving the country to pursue studies or careers abroad, this is not the kind of life that aspiring bio-scientist, Ms Rutendo Kahari, wants.
The 19-year-old Bulawayo-based damsel wants to bring the special knowledge she gained abroad to help her fellow citizens in Africa and Zimbabwe, in particular.
Last year, through a GoFundMe campaign, Ms Kahari did her apprenticeship in Kenya where she pursued her dream of biomedical research and this year she is continuing with her dream.
Ms Kahari studied Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry at Speciss College in Bulawayo.
It was her dream to pursue biomedical research after taking care of her father, Mr Grain Kahari, who fell ill when she was eight-years-old and later died when she was 16.
Now she wants to attend universities in the United States of America to be in one of the best in terms of the medical field, as she has applied to 13 of them and so far she has been accepted into two.
Some of the universities that Ms Kahari has applied to include Harvard, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford and University of Pennsylvania.
However, there is a catch – the fees for her to study there are north of US$70 000 and she is appealing to well-wishers for help.
“I am a young African woman hoping to attend a top university in the US. I am on a mission to introduce the power of emerging science to reduce the high disease burden and promote health equity in Africa, all inspired by my experience with my late father, who was chronically ill for 10 years,” she said in an interview.
“My African upbringing combined with my mother’s unwavering support in providing the best education to my siblings and I, has inspired me to desire to pursue my university studies in the United States of America,” said Ms Kahari.
She hopes by getting to learn at the best universities she will be able to help advance the healthcare system in Zimbabwe and in Africa.
“I am confident that college will take me a step closer to my dream career as a biomedical researcher; by providing me with the academic knowledge I need for the future when I hope to lead healthcare reform in Zimbabwe and neighbouring nations.
“I aim to work alongside developing communities to enhance their strengths and suggest solutions for their limitations in healthcare without imposing or erasing their traditions,” she said.
Ms Kahari’s desire is to work on researching on innovations in medical solutions in HIV, malaria and cholera that bedevil Africa.
“Through the rich-research experiences offered in college, I look forward to learning about the importance of critical innovations in the history of medicine and exploring global health,” she said.
“Such experiences will help me to understand how emerging fields of science —phage therapy, genetic engineering, synthetic biology, and precision medicine— can provide solutions to tropical and infectious diseases that burden my continent, Africa HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, malaria, cholera, and more.”
One day Ms Kahari wants to help inspire young women of her age to pursue STEM studies.
“Science education in Africa is lacking in many ways, so I don’t want to use my research to only find new drugs, but also as a space to popularise science and to build capacity for scientific research, using my newly acquired scientific skills.
“As I continue to self-elevate through college, I want to help more students from backgrounds like mine to take the leap and pursue their academic ambitions without seeing funding as a deterrent,” said Ms Kahari.
She said she will set up a GoFundMe account so that those well-wishers can donate.
Ms Kahari is also actively looking for scholarships and if she gets full-funding for her studies, she has pledged to return the money donated.
Sidumisile Mabena