Sierra Leone Telegraph: 3 March 2024:
On the conclusion of an objective and exhaustive process, NOSLINA has selected Fibian Sundufu and Dominic Sesay to become the premiere beneficiaries of its Davies-Cole Scholarship Fund. (Photo above: The late Dr. John Oliver Davies-Cole (1956-2021.)
Until his sudden and untimely transition in August, 2021, Dr. John Oliver Davies-Cole was State Epidemiologist of Washington, DC and Immediate Past Board Chair of NOSLINA.
Fibian and Dominic were selected among a pool of numerous applicants who vied for the distinguished scholarships to earn the Masters of Public Health (MPH) at Njala University.
Classes for the two-year advanced degree program commence at the University’s School of Community Health Sciences – Bo Campus – this weekend. NOSLINA’s sponsorship of the two graduate students is geared to the ultimate goal of preventing infectious diseases and curbing viruses in Sierra Leone.
NOSLINA is not new to the business of awarding scholarships to deserving and needy students in Sierra Leone, an exercise they’ve engaged in for decades and for which many secondary and high schools have benefited.
In 2011, NOSLINA sadly lost its Legal Counsel, Attorney Sadu Bah. As a result, the organization established The Sadu Bah Scholarship Fund which sponsored a law student at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. That law student is today a solicitor and advocate in the High Court of Sierra Leone!
Davies-Cole Scholar Fibian Sundufu
In alignment with the World Health Organization’s definition of public health, Fibian Sundufu’s vision encompasses a holistic approach that focuses on the entire population, not just individual patients or diseases. On completion of her MPH, she intends to conduct research to identify context-specific solutions to Sierra Leone’s health challenges.
Collaborating with local research institutions and international partners, she aims to contribute to evidence-based interventions tailored to the country’s unique needs. “The Scholarship’s legacy of excellence and impact aligns seamlessly with my aspirations, and I am determined to make a tangible difference that resonates for generations to come,” Fibian maintains.
Davies-Cole Scholar Dominic Sesay
In post-conflict Sierra Leone which is grappling with serious developmental challenges such as Covid 19, Post-Ebola and now Monkeypox, on attaining his MPH, Dominic Sesay will be prepared to act as a resource person and an expert in public health, especially in the area of water sanitation and hygiene. His experience will also benefit the regional countries that are struggling to tackle the consequence of global climate change.
Mr. Abdulai Brima, lecturer at Njala University’s Department of Environmental Health Sciences, writes that his onetime student “… leaves no stone unturned to achieve excellence … he handles his academic assignments with the utmost responsibility [and] I am confident that he will make the best use of the [NOSLINA] offer. Mr. Sesay’s achievement will not only be beneficial to himself but to the country Sierra Leone as a whole.”
NOSLINA deems the Davies-Cole Scholarship Fund will serve as an ever-living testimony to the life and work of a great human being, John Oliver Davies-Cole – that, through this initiative, the organization will continue to improve the lives of individuals and enhance the health of people throughout the world.
Highlights of Noslina’s contribution in the field of health & sanitation
Since it’s inception 26 years ago, the National Organization of Sierra Leoneans in North America (NOSLINA) has been at the forefront of providing material, financial, logistical and other assistance to Sierra Leone, especially in times of crisis and dire need.
At the height of the Ebola epidemic, 2014/15, NOSLINA brought together the Sierra Leone Diaspora community (North America, Europe and Africa) in one unified effort – a collaboration which helped in alleviating the suffering of Ebola victims.
Further, in the wake of the 2017 mudslide catastrophe, NOSLINA allocated funds and in-kind support to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars to organizations on the ground who channelled the aid to mudslide victims.
And, again, more recently when the Covid Delta variant hit Sierra Leone, NOSLINA quickly marshalled its forces and distributed over a thousand masks at critical locations all over the capital city.
Over the years, NOSLINA has worked tirelessly to help initiate community health programs to reduce incidents of malaria and lassa fever and to improve maternal and child health. The confidence bestowed on NOSLINA by the donor community (within and outside Sierra Leone society) shows that it has the utmost trust in the group and appreciates the fact that NOSLINA officers are worthy stewards of their hard-earned dollars!
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