Agricultural students from developing countries begin Masters courses in the UK with Marshal Papworth Fund scholarships
Agricultural development charity, the Marshal Papworth Fund, welcomes six new students from Indonesia, Malawi, Nigeria, and Uganda to begin their Masters studies at leading agricultural universities in the UK, after securing scholarships with the Fund.
The six chosen scholarship recipients join a Marshal Papworth Fund alumni network of over 220 students, all from developing countries, with Shabrina Nida Al Husna becoming the Marshal Papworth Fund’s first student from Indonesia.
Speaking ahead of beginning her Masters course in MSc Food Security and Development at Reading University, Shabrina, who is CEO and Co-founder of an agricultural social network in Indonesia that empowers vegetable farmers in Indonesia to sell their vegetable seedlings to other farmers, as well as educating children in home gardening, said: “I want to thank the Marshal Papworth Fund for giving me the opportunity to study abroad. I’m very excited and very glad to be starting my Masters studies and I hope that during my studies I can gain a range of perspectives on food security, having insightful discussions with other students from across the world on how we can tackle food security problems worldwide.
Sandra Lauridsen, coordinator for the Marshal Papworth Fund – managed by the East of England Agricultural Society – said: “We are thrilled to welcome Masters students back to the UK, with our scholars heading to Harper Adams University, Reading University, and Writtle University College. They will study a range of courses including Crop Production, Integrated Pest Management, Agricultural Sciences and Production Systems, Food Security and Development, and Agriculture and Development.”
Sandra continued: “We now have over 220 students from across the developing world as part of the Marshal Papworth Fund alumni network, with tens of thousands of lives positively impacted through the work of both our Masters scholars, and graduates of our 10-week short course in sustainable agriculture at Harper Adams University. We are lucky to have these students on board and I have no doubt that they will use their time in the UK to provide the best outcome for both their individual development when they return home next year, but also to then share their experiences and knowledge within their communities.
“Knowledge is power, and we are proud that Marshal Papworth alumni have a strong history of sharing that knowledge for the benefit of those around them to help end food insecurity and the knock-on effects of that, including increased education of young people, especially girls, improved sanitation and so much more.”
The Marshal Papworth Fund was formed in 2001 with funds bequeathed by the late Marshal Papworth, an East Anglian farmer, and works towards helping developing countries across the world in ‘growing out of hunger.’
To find out more about supporting the Marshal Papworth Fund, please contact Sandra Lauridsen on 01733 961024 or email slauridsen@eastofengland.org.uk for more information. You can also visit our new website at www.marshalpapworth.com
You can meet this year’s Master students in this introductory video:
