University of Sydney partnership
Scholarship recipients: (clockwise from top left) Victor Kibisu, Nadeera Ashani, Ebubechukwu Justina Emoh, Sachith Anjana Karunarathna, Jacinta Nyanchera Onwonga, Alex Stan and Tripti. Photo: Fiona Wolf/University of Sydney
In December 2023, we received communication from the University of Sydney seeking potential partners for the new International Equity Scholarship. Since forming our partnership, we welcomed two scholarship students in July 2024; Victor Kibisu (Master of Data Science) and Jacinta Nyanchera (Master of Commerce) and in January 2025, Patrick Matata (Master of Computer Science).
Our Kenyan university graduates often face a daunting challenge in the fiercely competitive job market, where employers expect either direct work-related experience or postgraduate studies. This is where the University of Sydney’s International Equity Scholarship comes into play. It’s a dream come true for us, providing a golden opportunity for Victor, Jacinta and Patrick, three students who we’ve known and supported for over a decade, from primary school through to university graduation. This scholarship is more than just financial aid; it’s a stepping stone towards a brighter future, a chance to stand out in the competitive job market, and a testament to their hard work and determination.
“I am so grateful to the University of Sydney for supporting this initiative, creating the funding to enable it and giving me the scope to develop it. Finding the partners was in itself rewarding as well, as I started to learn more about the work of various organisations and the communities that they work with. The partners have been excellent to work with and together we have successfully welcomed seven students in 2024 on this new initiative and are already working with the 2025 commencing cohort.”
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Scholarship helps international students from disadvantaged communities
21 August 2024
Sydney International Equity Scholarship
Karen Howe, co-founder and director of partner organisation Oasis Africa Australia, said the scholarship would change everything for recipients. “We envision a future where every scholarship student breaks the generational poverty cycle,” she said. “This is more than just financial aid; it’s a stepping stone towards a brighter future, a chance to stand out in the competitive job market, and a testament to the students’ hard work and determination.”
Sydney International Equity Scholarship recipient Victor Kibisu with his aunt, Emmy Andiva, in Kibera, Nairobi. Photo: Spartan Photography/University of Sydney
Victor Kibisu, Kenya, Master of Data Science
Kenyan recipient Victor Kibisu, 26, has been supported by Oasis Africa Australia since he was a teenager in Kibera, Nairobi’s largest slum. He moved to the slum to live with his aunt when he was 13. His parents, who lived almost 400 kilometres away, could not afford to keep all four of their children at home.
As a student in Kibera, Kibisu sometimes struggled to get to school because he had no money for public transport. He could never have afforded the fees to finish high school without assistance from Oasis Africa Australia. The charity also supported him during his undergraduate degree, a Bachelor of Applied Statistics with Computing at Kenya’s University of Eldoret.
His move to Australia to study a Master of Data Science is a dream come true. “I can’t believe this is really happening,” he said. “To be going to a world-class university – it's something that just didn’t seem possible when I was a kid.
“Through education, I have been able to achieve a lot. Without it, I’d probably be working very hard to sustain myself doing menial jobs. It’s not an easy life in the slums.
“I have a dream of one day supporting kids who don’t have the resources to go to school. I’d like to be able to hold their hands and tell them it’s possible.”