Scholarship Grant

The medical procedure was carried out effectively by the eminent cardiologist Prof. Gilles Dreyfus ; as an humanitarian action initiated jointly between the Cuomo Foundation and the French NGO La Chaîne de l’Espoir.

Subsequently the Cuomo Foundation would be responsible for the funding of the CCPC in Dakar, the first cardio paediatric surgical centre in West Africa. Rheumatic heart disease remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children and young adults in the developing world.

After being treated Awa Gueye was able to resume her schooling and in 2017 a Cuomo Foundation scholarship award enabled her to enter Engineering College in Dakar (Ecole supérieure polytechnique de Dakar) to study for a 3yrs degree in Applied Biology and Chemical Engineering. In 2020 she successfully graduated and so impressed the Foundation that they agreed to continue support and funding for her Masters studies. The closure of colleges last year due to Senegalese Covid-19 restrictions have now ended and Awa has commenced her 4th college year which will culminate in obtaining a Masters in Biological Engineering and Biotechnology. Her future now looks bright with the prospects of a career in Research Biology becoming a reality.

I could never thank the Cuomo Foundation enough for saving me from the horrors of my heart disease and through its support allowing me to fulfill a wish that was dear to me; being able to carry out my educational project.

– Awa Gueye