A Mastercard Foundation Scholar’s resilient journey

From navigating pandemic disruptions and research delays to becoming a lecturer, researcher and founder of a national research initiative, Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus Nassifu Ssemwanga has demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination. His story is a powerful reminder that perseverance, purpose and support can transform challenges into opportunities for impact.

When Ssemwanga reflects on his journey as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar at the University of Cape Town (UCT), it is not graduating cum laude that he considers his greatest achievement. Rather, it is the perseverance, purpose and community that carried him through some of the most challenging years of his academic and professional life.

A nurse-midwife, educator and researcher, Ssemwanga’s story embodies the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program’s commitment to educating, equipping and empowering young people to drive meaningful and lasting change across Africa.

A calling rooted in care

He began his studies at UCT at a time of unprecedented global uncertainty. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education systems, strained healthcare services and transformed lives around the world.

Like many Mastercard Foundation Scholars, he started his studies remotely, navigating academic demands amid uncertainty and isolation. Despite these challenges, he excelled academically and completed his first year with distinction in 2021.

Ssemwanga was driven by a deep commitment to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes in Uganda. In 2022, he embarked on a master’s research project that focused on one of the world’s most pressing health priorities, aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.1, which seeks to reduce maternal mortality.

His study explored the quality of care provided to mothers and newborns during the first 24 hours after birth in Uganda, a critical period for maternal and neonatal survival. The research identified opportunities to strengthen immediate postpartum and newborn care, helping to prevent avoidable maternal and neonatal deaths and disabilities.

Approved by the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) and fully supported through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, the study reflected his desire to contribute African-led evidence to improve healthcare systems and outcomes.

At the time, the path ahead appeared clear.

An unexpected setback

Returning to Uganda to conduct fieldwork, Ssemwanga soon encountered significant challenges beyond his control.

Lengthy bureaucratic processes and delayed ethical approvals slowed progress considerably, pushing the research far beyond its anticipated timelines. Despite his persistence, progress stalled. Even an approved funding extension to July 2023 expired before the study could be completed.

He found himself in what he describes as an “in-between space”: no longer funded, uncertain about what would come next, yet unwilling to abandon his dream.

For more than two years, he continued working quietly behind the scenes. He remained committed to the research; maintained close engagement with his supervisor, Associate Professor Sheila Clow; sought support where possible and held on to hope that he would eventually complete what he had started.

It was a period that tested not only his determination, but also his belief in whether his academic journey would continue.

Support beyond academic milestones

In line with its commitment to the well-being of Mastercard Foundation Scholars and its long-term impact, the programme conducted routine follow-up engagements with scholars whose academic journeys had diverged from their expected timelines.

During one of these engagements, Ssemwanga shared his story – and they listened.

Recognising that transformation does not always follow a linear path, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program provided targeted and flexible support that enabled him to complete his research, submit his thesis and ultimately graduate.

In 2025, Ssemwanga graduated cum laude with a Master of Nursing degree, marking the successful culmination of a journey defined by resilience, determination and an unwavering commitment to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes.

For Ssemwanga, this support represented something far greater than financial assistance.

The experience reinforced a core principle of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program: investing in people, not merely academic milestones.

Turning opportunity into impact

Today, the impact of that investment continues to multiply.

Two papers stemming from his master’s research have been accepted for oral presentation at the 2026 International Confederation of Midwives Congress in Lisbon, Portugal, contributing African-led research to global conversations on maternal and newborn health.

Through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, Ssemwanga also completed an internship at the Islamic University in Uganda, Kampala Campus. What began as an internship evolved into a volunteer position and ultimately led to his appointment as a full-time lecturer in the Department of Nursing.

Today, he serves as a nurse-midwife educator, clinical researcher and mentor, contributing to the development of future healthcare professionals while advancing maternal and newborn health research in Uganda. He also actively supports the AL for Health Research Fellowship.

His contributions to research have been recognised through several competitive grants, including the 2024 Uganda Nurses and Midwives Seed Research Grant. Driven by a passion for strengthening research capacity across Uganda, he founded the Nexus Centre for Research and Innovation (NCRI), an initiative dedicated to supporting individuals and institutions in developing research excellence and innovation capabilities.

Looking ahead, Ssemwanga is preparing for doctoral training in nursing and midwifery, with the goal of strengthening health systems, advancing African-led research and improving health professional education across the continent.

A message for fellow Mastercard Foundation Scholars

Ssemwanga’s journey reflects resilience in the face of systemic barriers, leadership grounded in service and equity, and education as a catalyst for community transformation.

His message to fellow Mastercard Foundation Scholars is simple, yet profound:

“Your journey does not need to be linear to be meaningful. Delays do not mean defeat, and pauses do not mean failure,” he said.

For Ssemwanga, some of life’s most important lessons were learned not in lecture halls, but in moments of uncertainty, perseverance and renewed belief.

As a Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program alumnus, he understands the responsibility that comes with opportunity to reach back, mentor forward and open doors for others, just as doors were opened for him.

“Success delayed is not success denied,” he added.