The University is aiming to enter 3,000 students, staff and alumni into its very own purple wave as part of the Manchester 10K. One of the 2 partner charities is the Equity and Merit Scholarships.

Equity and Merit Scholarships are awarded to exceptional students from some of the world’s poorest countries, enabling them to access and undertake master’s degrees that will help them contribute to the development of their home nation. Since the programme launched ten years ago, 181 scholarships have been awarded to brilliant individuals who have demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to the development of their home communities.

One student who has received a scholarship is Jean D'Amour, whose parents were killed in the Rwandan genocide when he was just six years old. He was determined to do what he could to help his country recover and rebuild after civil war tore it apart in the 1990s, and has just graduated with an MSc in Medical Microbiology from Manchester. He is now teaching that subject at the University of Rwanda, and is helping local doctors increase their skills so they can serve their communities better. His donor-funded scholarship made all this possible.