Help get Johan to London to study public health!

THE ASK

 

Hello everyone,

 

This page is to raise funds on behalf of Johan Dhinakaran for his postgraduate studies in London in 2022. Johan has received an offer of admission from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine for a Masters in Public Health for Development, and we need your support in getting him there!

 

The total still needing to be raised is £16,940 (see financial details below).

 

It is a mountain of an ask, so we are inviting all of you - friends, relatives, internet strangers - to be part of this story. Miraculously, in our first week of fundraising, we received £10,000 as a gift! We are trusting in God’s generosity and provision, and believe He will do immeasurably more than we can ask, think or imagine.

 

We are enormously grateful for any support that you are able to offer. Anything that you are able and willing to give, whether large or small, will be an incredible blessing.

 

If you know Johan, you’ll know that he is an all-in kind of person. He commits himself whole-heartedly to everything he does, and this next adventure studying at LSHTM will be no exception. As a (somewhat biased) third-party, I can vouch for the fact that Johan will get as much out of this course as possible and give as much as he can, impacting the people he meets along the way.

 

As well as being incredibly talented in a variety of things (music, working with children, communication, connecting with people, and so much more…), Johan has a real calling to be a leader and a change-maker in places where there is immense practical need, advocating for things like accessible and equitable healthcare, social inclusion and justice. He already lives this out in his work and in his personal life as a friend, brother and church planter. Studying in the UK is the next step on the journey!

 

Scroll down to hear more about Johan in his own words, and this course…

 

If you have any questions, whether practical or personal, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We would love to chat with you and to keep you informed of Johan’s work if you are interested.

 

If you are unable to give right now, we completely understand. We would also really appreciate your prayers to fuel us through the next few weeks and months.

 

A huge THANK YOU for reading this and for considering supporting Johan in this way!

 

With love,

 

Connie and Johan

 

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ABOUT JOHAN

 

From studying in an inclusive school to becoming a physiotherapist, working to make the lives of people around me even better has been the centre focus of my life. My background and experience spans practical physiotherapy in hospitals and rehabilitation centres, organisational development and partnership building in disability-related NGOs and undertaking advocacy for inclusive health in India.

 

I completed my undergraduate studies in Physiotherapy at Christian Medical College, Vellore which is one of the premier institutes for medical education in India. This education set me up to establish and successfully run the Physiotherapy Department in a rural mission hospital in Fatehpur, Uttar Pradesh, at the age of 22. While I was there, I set up an early intervention centre, which became a hub for rehabilitation care for children with disabilities, providing care for their physical and mental wellbeing that was otherwise lacking. I saw the need for practical public health solutions, but also for changing stigmatised attitudes towards disability.

 

I have since worked with organisations in the Disability and Inclusion space in India such as The Ganga Foundation, Nayi Disha, and NeoMotion - an IIT Madras incubated start-up that makes state-of-the-art wheelchairs. Working with these organisations has given me a strong grasp of the realities of living as a person with disabilities in a country where inclusion and accessibility are sadly limited. I am passionate about using my education and skills to make India a more inclusive country!

 

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ABOUT THE LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE

 

Founded in 1899, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a globally renowned university that specialises in global and public health. In the ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2021, LSHTM ranks in the top 3 institutions for public health anywhere in the world (and ranks 1st in the UK!).

 

The course that Johan will be studying, the MSc Public Health for Development , is about understanding and addressing public health issues in low and middle-income countries. It is an intensive and competitive course, where students must have had two years of prior professional experience in the field of public health in a developing country. Johan will also be able to participate in programmes and learn from professors at the International Centre for Evidence in Disability, which is based at LSHTM.

 

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FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

This is not a fully-fledged budget for the whole year, but just the course fees.

Course tuition fees (international student rates): £26,940

 

With the £10,000 that we have already raised, there is £16,940 still to go!

 

Alongside this platform, we are looking at alternative sources of funding. Unfortunately Johan was unsuccessful with two full scholarship applications and one additional scholarship application to support his studies and living costs, but we are continuing to look into possible scholarships, grants and bursaries.

We have one more scholarship application pending and would appreciate your prayers for that! We will reduce the total that needs to be raised here accordingly.

  

THANK YOU!