In Lydia Famuyide’s home country Nigeria, there is a high prevalence of maternal and infant mortality. “It hit close when one of the women in my community died during childbirth because she did not attend prenatal care,” she says. “That ignited my passion for averting unnecessary deaths by sensitizing pregnant women about prenatal and postnatal care.”
Before coming to the United States, Lydia distributed mosquito nets and prenatal vitamins to pregnant women and organized seminars to educate them about preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS with the nonprofit Global Health Trust Foundation.
She is currently studying at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “I am doing my Ph.D. in epidemiology because I want to be the best and have adequate knowledge to impact changes in my community and the world at large,” she says.
As an international public health consultant in the future, she plans to build a team of public health experts in different countries to bring maternal and child health care programs to less-developed countries.
Lydia says, “I want to express my sincere gratitude to the donors for giving their resources to support my education. I hope one day I will be able to help other students achieve their goals as you have helped me.”
The Chris Andersen WomenLead Scholarship recognizes the need for diverse leadership in ministry, nonprofits and civic organizations and seeks to accelerate the extraordinary leadership of diverse women of faith to lead change by using their talents to educate, advocate and activate.
Donors have the opportunity to