iSTEPup for health
iSTEPup means ‘coming forward and taking action if necessary’. Our foundation has the ambition to help students in low-to-middle-income countries with potential but without financial means to follow medical vocational education through a scholarship. iSTEPup aims to support the development of healthcare in Low- and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) in a sustainable way. For this reason, the name ‘International Sustainable Tertiary Education Programme’ (iSTEPup) was chosen.
iSTEPup offers scholarships to talented students who do not have sufficient financial means to become a nurse, midwife, doctor or pharmacist. The fundraised money will be transferred directly to local and recognized training institutes. iSTEPup will also provide a “buddy/mentor” who will help the student with personal issues during their study, to minimalize the chance of dropout.
In this way we support the development of basic health care in LMICs, accessible to everyone, also in the future. iSTEPup strives for transparency, self-reliance, and gender equality.
Sponsors of iSTEPup can choose to support the work of iSTEPup in general, support students in a specific country, or one specific student.
Students
iSTEPup supports students (male or female):
– who wish to attend training to become a nurse, midwife, doctor or pharmacist.
– who have insufficient financial resources to pay for a scholarship, but who are able to cover their own living expenses.
– who are living in LMICs as classified by the World Bank.
Every ambitious student living in a LMIC can submit an application for the iSTEPup programme via this website. Subsequently, we will check whether the student meets the term and conditions of the programme. All students must sign the application form before attending the iSTEPup programme.
Every iSTEPup student has its own page on the website with information about their background, study and the amount of money needed to complete their studies.
Click here for an overview of the current iSTEPup students
Click here for all terms and conditions for participation in the iSTEPup programme or to apply a student.
Scholarships
In all cases, the fundraised money will be transferred directly to local and recognized training institutes. The tuition fee will be paid on a half-yearly or annual basis. If necessary and available, iSTEPup can also offer non-financial support through medical instruments (stethoscope, pulse oximeter, medical literature, laptop, etc.).
Support
Every student will be linked to a buddy. This buddy provides personal guidance during the study and acts as an intermediary for iSTEPup, for example by assisting the student in updating their personal web page. Ideally, the buddy has completed the same education as the student is currently following (nursing, midwifery, medicine, or pharmacy). Through this guidance iSTEPup hopes to reduce the chances of dropout. iSTEPup also asks the buddies to contribute to part of the fundraising for the student, for example by recruiting new donors, by increasing our reach through actively engaging with our social media posts and organizing fundraising campaigns within their own network.