The DFC Scholarship Programme: Sharpened my skills and confidence

I arrived in March 2018 to attend the 3 month One Health Specialization Course at the University of Copenhagen under the DFC Scholarship Programme. It was my maiden visit to a Scandinavian country and an opportunity of travelling from Kenya, which I would not have been able to undertake by myself.

One Health is an important course in my area of specialization and I was looking forward to learn all that had been outlined as the course content before I left my country.

I already knew I was going to enrich my knowledge in One Health, an area that is not that well understood in Kenya, but that nevertheless is important to those who are expected to take the lead in spearheading One Health initiatives.

New knowledge and learning methods
I must say that the course satisfied the intellectual curiosity that I had when I applied for it. When I applied, I felt that I had a knowledge gap that I needed to fill. I am happy that I was selected because that thirst for knowledge about One Health has now been satisfied fully.

Let me explain:

The course gave me the opportunity to demonstrate and share my professional skills and experiences in an international context. I have been able to create linkages for future collaboration with Danish and international partners.

The subjects covered in the program broadened my field of expertise. I have improved my skills in scientific report writing, in making power point presentations and sharpened my presentation skills. These skills will definitely improve my current and future job performance.

I am better professionally equipped to contribute constructively in One Health agenda forums due to the confidence I now have to exercise and demonstrate the competences acquired from this training.

I am able to translate my knowledge in disease modeling, risk assessment, determination of disease burden and evaluation of One Health initiatives into policy briefs that may help policy makers in taking scientific evidence-based policy decisions.

In addition, I feel empowered in a way that I now stand a better chance to share credible new information learnt with my colleagues at work.

Understanding of Denmark
The DFC Scholarship Programme also provided me with the opportunity to learn and expand my knowledge in the serene environment at the University of Copenhagen.

I sincerely appreciated the different modes of teaching and learning, which are participatory rather than passive. It was based on a lot of group work, group discussions and presentations, as well as individual assignments. Looking back it was an exceptional experience for me to learn how to use group dynamics for the achievement of results.

Besides the professional skills, the DFC Scholarship Programme exposed me to Denmark. I now have some understanding of the Danish people, their culture and way of life thanks to the presentation to Danish culture and the following discussion I participated in during the early weeks of my arrival at the Danida Fellowship Centre’s cafe. I also got to experience first-hand some of the traditional and historical perspectives of the Danish people by visiting museums, a traditional village in Odense and a number of sights. I also got to enjoy lunch with a Danish family in Nyborg.

International exposure
Lastly, the DFC programme offered me an exceptional opportunity to meet, learn, and interact with people from different nationalities and backgrounds. The setup with course participants from all around the world offers a rich learning environment; it adds value to learn and share in an environment where the perspective is multi-national from Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Socially, the multi-national setup mirrored the professional course setup. The excursions arranged by Danida Fellowship Centre, the movie nights, how we cooked together, played volleyball, table tennis and held cake and debate evenings enlarged my circle of friends of different nationalities. I appreciate diversity and the diversity in different perspectives in a way that I did not do before the course.

I sincerely thank Danida Fellowship Centre and the DFC Scholarship Programme for this incredible opportunity.