A Tamale based NGO, RAINS, has donated an amount of 10,000 Ghana Cedis to the Students’ Financial Aid Scheme (SFAS) of the University for Development Studies. The donation is in response to an appeal by the Office of the Dean of Students’ Affairs (DoSA) to support brilliant but needy students pursuing various programmes in the University.

At a brief ceremony to make the Donation, the Executive Director of RAINS, Mr. Hardi Tijani noted that the NGO has a long history of work in education with emphasis on the education of females. He noted that RAINS has previously responded to calls from the Office of the Dean of Students to support students who faced financial challenges.

He disclosed that the donation would mark the beginning of a series of other donations, adding that RAINS looks forward to working with the University to ensure that many needy students get opportunities to complete their studies. He called on other corporate bodies, NGOs and individuals to support the scheme to grow so that as many students as possible can benefit from it.

The Vice-Dean of Students’ Affairs in charge of the Tamale Campus, Dr. Umar Haruna commended RAINS for the swift response to the appeal from DoSA, noting that RAINS has been one of the reliable partners in seeking the welfare of needy students. He assured RAINS that the funds will be used to support the fees of at least 5 brilliant but needy students. He also assured RAINS that there is an elaborate and transparent process in place to ensure that the funds benefit only students who are truly in need.

The Director of Internal Audit at the University for Development, Mr. Abubakari Abdulai received the cheque on behalf of Management. He expressed sincere thanks to RAINS for the kind gesture, noting that such partnerships will open doors for many students from deprived backgrounds to access tertiary education. He also commended the team at the Office of the Dean of Students’ Affairs for championing the establishment of the scheme, and urged them to continue to invest time and efforts to consolidate the scheme.

Other officials at the ceremony were Dr. Alhassan Musah, Dean of Students’ Affairs, Alhaji Muftawu Iddrisu, Head of Accounts Receivables, Madam Theodora Quaye, Head of Programmes and Partnerships of RAINS, and Mrs. Rosemary Dambayi, Junior Assistant Registrar in charge of the Office of Dean of Students’ Affairs.

Story by: 
Husain Abdul Ganiyu Wumpini  
(UDS Media)