Yonas – Susan Aitchison Scholarship Fund

Yonas’ Story

Yonas was born in 1991 in a small village called Womberko which is approximately 20km north of Lalibela. His parents are farmers and he is the second youngest of 6 children.

There was no school in Womberko so the children had a 2 hour walk to a neighbouring village, Sarzena, in order to access education. All 5 of Yonas’s siblings are now married with children and all live in Womberko.

Yonas completed grade 4 in Sarzena and was interested in furthering his education. In 2001 he moved to stay with relatives in Lalibela. In Lalibela he studied from grade 5 to grade 12.

In 2009, Yonas made successful application to join the scholarship fund. He was accepted to study medicine at University of Gondar. He graduated in 2015.

2016 In Gondar, General Practitioner and Lecturer. Researcher with Belgian team from the Institute of Tropical Medicine.
2017-2019 Internal medicine specialisation at Gondar
2020 In Lalibela, Internist + COVID coordinator+ Medical director
2021 In Gondar, Internist + Academic coordinator for medical students.
2022-2023 St. Paul’s hospital, Addis Ababa. Fellowships in Gastroenterology and Hepatology
2024 Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist in Addis Ababa

August 2023
Attended Endoscopy
service in Turkey

August 2023
Attended international
conference in
Ghana

April 2024
Completed first international
training on digestive
endoscopy in China

July 2024
Presented an e- poster abstract on benign
esophageal stricture at an international
conference in South Korea

August. 2024
Attended International conference in
Kenya

Yonas’s graduation ceremony as a Gastroenterologist and Hepatalogist will take place in October 2024.

Yonas has asked me to pass on his grateful thanks to everyone who has
supported him, especially the members of the Bude Methodist Church. It would have been impossible for him to continue his education without the financial help we were able to give him.

Doanload Jonas Story pdf here

Doctor Yonas Gedemu

2015 Age 25 years

Yonas has now graduated as a doctor from Gonder University.

Yonas Geamu

2014 Age 24 years

Yonas has now finished his fifth year of medicine at Gonder University. He is continuing to do exceptionally well in his studies.
This is his final year and he is scheduled to graduate in July 2015. He will continue to get his payment of 1,500 birr per month.

Yonas Gedamu Tesfaye

2013 Age 23 years

Yonas has now finished his fourth year of medicine at Gonder University. He is continuing to do exceptionally well in his studies and scored an average of 3.43 out of a possible 4.

He is now doing practical placements in the hospital in Gonder and is thoroughly enjoying the experience.

He will continue to get his payment of 1,500 birr per month.

Yonas Gedamu Tesfaye

2012 Aged 22 years

Yonas has now finished his third year of medicine at Gonder University. He is continuing to do exceptionally well in his studies and scored an average of 3.43 out of a possible 4.

The Bude Methodist Church has upped his payment to 1,500 birr every month and he is absolutely delighted.

Yonas Gedamu Tesfaye

2011 Age 21 years

Yonas is from a small village outside Lalibela. Many children in the village still don’t access education. Yonas, against all odds, is now studying medicine at Gondar University. He has just completed second year and has scored an amazing 3.7 out of a possible 4. He is now in his third year and his dream is becoming a reality, thanks to our support.

He has found it difficult to manage this year on 600 Birr per month and both committees have agreed to make him an exception and up his monthly payment to 900 Birr. He will also receive two performance related bonuses of a possible 400 Birr each.

Yonas Gedamu

2010 Age 20 years

Yonas has now successfully completed the first year of his 7 year, medical course at Gonder University. He scored 3.28 out of a possible 4, which is excellent as Gonder is one of the top Universities for Medicine in Ethiopia. Continue reading Yonas Gedamu

Yonas Geamu

2009 Age 19 years

Yonas has elderly parents who are unable to work and are therefore unable to support. He completed grade 12 this year and was the top student in Lalibela. He has been allocated a place at Gonder University to study medicine, and our support means that he can take up this place.

It has been agreed to give him 900 Birr every month (£45), with an incentive bonus of 600 Birr on successful completion of semester 1, and another 600 Birr on successful completion of first year.