Make Mimi a Nurse

My name is Mimi Dusuba Lamah. I am nineteen years old and live in Sierra Leone, West Africa. I am trying to raise money to fulfill my dream of studying nursing, with the help of my friends and sponsors in Australia who have set up this campaign for me.

About me

I love swimming, volunteering and singing. I am an only child of a single mother from an extended family.

I grew up in Central Freetown where the mentality of girls achieving something in life is almost an impossibility. I grew up on the 'streets' as one would refer me, but I could not let that define me. I attended Triumphant International Preparatory School for my primary education and later sat my National Primary School Education and got a total aggregate of 335 over 500 to enter Junior Secondary School.


I then got accepted into the famous Annie Walsh Memorial where I sat my BECE (Basic Education Certificate Examination) and I later got into Senior Secondary School where I was awarded and made the Head Pupil over a thousand students. After only one year, rather than the expected two, I determined to take my final senior school exam. That's when I tested to see if I'm capable and I got my university entry results. I'm presently a student of Njala University of Sierra Leone, reading B. Sc Hons Social Work. 

Njala University social work class on research trip (Mimi on the far left)


I usually sing at functions for people, but I love volunteer singing for children with disabilities more. I love the look in their eyes when I sing, at least I get satisfaction knowing fully well that even though I have nothing to give them but those few minutes, singing with them always lights up their faces.

I always believe lending a hand is a secret way of storing up treasure for oneself so that one can be rewarded when in dire need.

Nursing

However, I would like to study nursing. This is because I have always wished and dreamt of being part of a lifesaving process. I have had this wish ever since I got in an accident on a motor bike when heading for school. I had very serious head injuries and the doctors almost gave up on me. But they didn’t. That's when I realized that I have passion for saving lives, since my life was also saved.

I was also inspired to become a nurse when I saw how many nurses and doctors risked their lives and many even died to save others during the Ebola epidemic in my country. It was really a period that cannot be easily wiped from our minds and hearts. I lost two of my family members due to that dreadful disease. Hunger, pain and frustration were our constant friends. As a volunteer, our duties where to go to different places to sensitise people and raise awareness of the killer disease. I thank God it’s all over now. 

Study Abroad

I want to study overseas because the learning pace here in our Universities is quite slow. Education here is supposed to be based on merits but the teachers and lectures are using it now as a channel to make money, to sell books and for us to buy grade points. So if someone like me don't have money to give then even if I scored very good there's a possibility my marks will be given to another. 

The other reason I want to study Nursing abroad is because of the very poor facilities here in Sierra Leone. The labs here are only having empty glasses and no serious experiments to do .  The strikes and fighting on campus is also another reason. 

I have applied to many universities in other countries and was accepted into a 2 year Assistant Diploma in Nursing course at Donetsk University in the Ukraine (in english).  We could not raise funds or organize visa visa in time to start in 2018, but I hope to start in 2019.


I will need something like:
$12,300 USD for first year
$9,400 USD for second year


This includes:
Application fee  $500
Admission, admin,  airport, immigration, intermediary $1,800
Tuition $3,500
Accommodation $1,000
Medical Insurance $300
Computor $500
food and living $1,600
and some emergency $1,000


I'm humbly asking for your donations please to help make my dream come true, so that I can give back to my family, community and especially be proud of myself.  I want to be that change agent and I cannot do all this without your kind gestures. Please help me achieve my dream of becoming a nurse. 

Thank you and God bless,

Mimi