Medical Bursaries and Surgical Scholarships

The Beit Trust offers annually a substantial number of bursaries intended to assist a range of students and young professionals, both African and British, to undertake work or studies of benefit to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Beit Bursaries for Junior Doctors (BBJD)

A grant may be provided to selected British junior doctors and surgeons undertaking a voluntary working secondment of at least six months duration at hospitals in the Beit beneficial area. Volunteers who choose to work in Zimbabwe are offered larger grants.

Please direct initial enquiries to the Secretary at enquiries@beittrust.org.uk, using the linked application form.

We will consider applications twice a year. Please time your enquiries to arrive before 1 May or 1 October of the year in question. Any application reaching us after those deadlines will only be considered at the next relevant date.

Beit Bursaries for Medical Electives (BBME)

A grant may be provided to selected 4th-year medical students at British universities undertaking medical electives of at least six unbroken weeks at one hospital or clinic in the Beit beneficial area. Grants are focused on those who aim to contribute to the work of busy, over-stretched hospitals/clinics. Medical researchers, and those who are unwilling to be actively hands-on, will not be selected. Volunteers who choose to work in Zimbabwe are offered larger grants.

Initial enquiries should be directed to the Medical Schools Council, (Famida.Yasmin@medschools.ac.uk), which arranges a Beit annual grant allocation programme culminating in the selection of at least 20 students in February each year.

Given uncertainties surrounding Covid 19, the application process for April 2021/22 is being reviewed. Please check this page for updates

Beit COSECSA Surgical In-Country Scholarship

In 2010, the Trust established a five-year trial scheme to offer in-country Beit-COSECSA postgraduate surgical scholarships to one surgeon per year from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi. This has now expanded to cover 4 surgeons from each country, for a total of twelve. These scholarships are undertaken at selected teaching hospitals in the Beit beneficial area, in accordance with medical protocols established by the College of Surgeons of East, Central and Southern Africa (COSECSA).

The personal stipend The Beit Trust pays should cover the costs of registration, enrolment, exam fees, travel to COSECSA seminars and graduation costs. Membership of COSECSA may be gained after 2 years study (MCS), with Fellowship after 5 years (FCS). For details of how to apply, please contact the COSECSA offices in Arusha, Tanzania. For further information visit their web site at www.cosecsa.org

Please note that a separate selection and sponsorship mechanism applies for COSECSA. You may obtain these details either directly from:

COSECSA Scholarships Secretary, ECSA-HC, P.O Box 1009, Arusha, Tanzania. Tel: 0025527254 9362.
Email: scholarshipsgroup@cosecsa.org

Or from Professor Krikor Erzingatsian.
Email: Erzingatsiankrikor@gmail.com

PLEASE NOTE: do not use the COSECSA applications for general scholarships, as your application will not be attended to.

Beit Hardship Fund in South Africa

The universities of Cape Town, Rhodes, Stellenbosch and the Witwatersrand each administer Beit grants provided for the relief of serious financial hardship among high-grade students from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi undertaking long courses in South Africa. This emergency fund is for food, rent, medicine and other necessities. It is not for the payment of academic fees, and is normally limited to students identified by their tutors. The universities involved choose and administer the support fund themselves, to established criteria.

University of The Witwatersrand
Name: Sasha Loyalty Mutano
Subject: Humanities
Country: Zimbabwe

Dear Beit Fund Trustees,

I am writing to you to express my personal appreciation for your donation towards my education. You may not know me apart from my name, faculty, nationality, and gender but you need to know that your generosity will change my life.

What a wonderful thing that you are doing, hope lights even the darkest places. Thank you for the light you bring. It is individual donations such as yours that help disadvantaged students, such as myself, complete their mission at tertiary level away from home.

I will use the donation for transport costs, to and from my school to my placement agency, printing and for food. This reduces my stress as well as the burden to my parents. As a result it will increase my focus directed to my studies.

On behalf of the Mutano family and friends, thank you for your generous support of investing in my future.

Sincerely,
Sasha Mutano

University of Cape Town
Name: Luck Mavhuru
Subject: PhD in Commercial Law
Country: Zimbabwe

Dear Beit Trust Fund

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for the funding l received from the Trust. The funding has gone a long way in cushioning me against financial challenges l am facing in my academic life and l am extremely grateful. It was instrumental in helping me to study without stress concerning a reliable source of income for rentals and other necessities for a student.

My academic pursuit would have been difficult without your generous support. Thank you for enabling me to reach my fullest personal and academic potential.

Warm regards
Luck Mavhuru

Stellenbosch University
Name: Faith Nyamakwere
Subject: PhD in Animal Science
Country: Zimbabwe

I recently received R9000 through your funding system and this letter serves to express my appreciation. It is not easy to survive on campus without financial support, especially when you struggle to put food on the table. Your generous contribution really helped to cover mostly my food allowance for now and the coming months. I do believe I am not the last, kindly continue with this great work and touch the lives of many struggling academic students in Africa. Thank you for taking a stand against hunger and support the food for all policy.

Sincerely,
Nyamakwere Faith

Rhodes University
Name: Charity Mbekeani
Subject: BA Org Psychology, Ind & Eco Sociology, Economics
Country: Malawi

This year has been a rough patch for me as well as my family. I was having a difficult time sourcing money for my tuition fees for the year. It has been a very stressful situation for me, especially being very far from home. I have had some restless nights and exhausting days just thinking about tuition fees. It is with great joy that I write this letter to thank you for the bursary.

This bursary has brought my family and I great relief. Words cannot begin to express how happy I am, that I can now work with less stress: I am beyond grateful for this opportunity.

Thank you very much.

Other

The Beit Trustees may from time to time sponsor other deserving applicants from Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi in response to specific needs. Initial enquiries should be directed to the Secretary at enquires@beittrust.org.uk.

Gap year funding will not be considered.