Australia Awards Scholar Receives the University of Melbourne Student Engagement Grant

Ms Crenodia Mloza-Banda, Malawi, Master of Agricultural Sciences, 2018

Ms Crenodia Mloza-Banda, a Malawian scholar is one of four Australia Awards scholars that received the Student Engagement Grants from the University of Melbourne in 2018. The Student Engagement Grants support initiatives led by the scholars in their home countries, which address important social, economic, environmental and cultural issues.

Crenodia is studying a Master of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Melbourne and her project in Malawi involves mentoring girls to escape the poverty trap. Crenodia reflected that, “I’ve learnt that education gives people freedom, a purpose and access to a wide range of income-generating possibilities. This is vital in a country with high poverty rates such as Malawi.”

The mentoring program that Crenodia has initiated is implemented in 4 schools located in Blantyre and Chiradzulu. Young Malawian professionals from various career paths, including journalists, doctors, teachers, and project managers from the public and private sectors as well as civil society organizations are sent to these schools to speak about the importance of education and the opportunities that await the girls after secondary school.