January 14, 2016
A delegation from the MasterCard Foundation along with a section of the foundation’s partners visited Ashesi to have a sense of campus life, student-run community engagement initiatives and to interact with students, faculty and staff.
The delegation was led by CEO of the foundation, Reeta Roy, who emphasized the importance of the partnership between Ashesi and the MasterCard Foundation.
“One of the most important things of any relationship is to always renew the relationship,” she said. “This particular trip was important because we came with a delegation of other partners from different organizations who are also very successful. But what we all share is a common set of values of creating a more equal and compassionate world; of creating social change, and all of us are committed to Africa.”
The delegation also spent some time in the Berekuso township looking at projects run by Ashesi students, including Sesamu and A New Dawn, which was started by Grace Amponsah ’16, a final year MasterCard scholar. “I felt incredibly proud, especially when I saw some of the work they are doing, and projects in the community,” Reeta said. “That to me more than anything else told me that the values and potential that we saw in them are being actualized”
In an address to the students, Reeta encouraged them to aspire to be true leaders. “I hope you are life long learners, you are curious, and you care about making a difference,” she said. “Because all of those qualities; being willing to learn, being willing to say that I don’t know enough about something, being curious and taking that curiosity and knowledge and translating it into making a difference. That is the quality of a true leader.”
In 2012, The MasterCard Foundation, provided $13 million in funding for bright students from extremely low-income families to come study at Ashesi. Partners of the MasterCard Foundation are selected for their shared values, academic excellence, nurturing environments, and programs relevant to developing countries.
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