By Maddie Smith
Natasha Sichula – photo by Anesu Masakura
Edgewood college student Natasha Sichula was selected as a Clinton Global InitiativeScholar and was recognized for her commitment to women’s and children’s health in her home country of Zambia.
Sichula is a Pre-Med student majoring in Cytotechnology and is a junior at Edgewood College.
On Oct. 19-21, Sichula attended the Clinton Global Initiative University conference held at the University of Chicago.
The conference was for Clinton Global Initiative Scholars, which gathers college students from all over the world to meet and collaborate on addressing issues that fit under the initiative’s five focus areas, which include: education, environment and climate change, poverty alleviation, peace and human rights, and public health. This year, more than 1,000 young leaders gathered to take action.
Sichula said she used Edgewood’s values such as justice, compassion, partnership, and community to make a difference in her community back in Zambia.
She hopes that “other people use their opportunities that they have in college to try to make their communities a better place.”
To be selected to become a Clinton Scholar, students must first write a “Commitment to Action.” According to the Clinton Foundation website, this contains new, specific, and measurable initiatives that address pressing challenges on campus, in local communities, or around the world.
Sichula’s “Commitment to Action” focuses on women empowerment through education and women’s health in her home country of Zambia. Her action can be seen through the organization she has created called Gracious Foundation for Maternity Protection Zambia (GFMPZ).
The foundation’s mission statement says its main objective is to “build holistic support that ensures the economic success of underprivileged pregnant women and babies by promoting both sustainability and empowerment of women through teaching them a skill, entrepreneurship, and grooming them into suitable candidates eligible for employment.”
The statement said the foundation prioritizes sustainability and empowerment.
“We also encourage material assistance if need be.”
In attending the conference, Sichula said she learned different ways to improve her mission, gained valuable knowledge about subjects such as funding, and was able to build partnerships.
Each Clinton Scholar is also assigned an advisor they must update monthly on how their projects are improving, or if they need to adjust their plans.
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