USAID / RCSA - Success Stories

The inspirational stories of Emmanuel Monyo and Mary Mgonja show what can be achieved when children of modest circumstances but exceptional ability receive strong parental nurturing supported by educational opportunity. Emmanuel Monyo grew up on a one-hectare subsistence farm near Mount Kilamanjaro. He attended a rural primary school in a village that had only the most rudimentary of equipment and teaching materials. The parents of this future scientist were subsistence farmers who emphasized the importance of education-all six of the Monyo children have done well despite having to overcome huge challenges.

Out of forty-five children in Emmanuel's primary school class, he was one of only three who qualified to go to secondary school, where he continued to excel academically. He hoped to study medicine but bureaucracy intervened and he was offered a place in an agricultural diploma program instead. Much to the benefit of multitudes of African farmers, he joined this practical USAID-funded program. A visiting professor from Purdue University was impressed by Emmanuel's academic excellence and arranged for him to study in the United States on a USAID scholarship. In the summer of 1988 Emmanuel boarded a plane and headed for America.

On the very same plane was Mary Mgonja who also grew up on a subsistence farm near Mount Kilimanjaro. Her father was a schoolteacher and her mother fed the family with the produce from their one-hectare farm. Like the Monyos, Mary's parents emphasized the value of education-all six of their children graduated from university. Her father recognized the unique gifts of each child and directed them accordingly. In Mary's case, he said "you will study until you qualify to study in Europe." Once in school Mary progressed rapidly, never needing to repeat a grade, which is a remarkable achievement for rural Africa. Like Emmanuel, Mary received a USAID scholarship to study in America. She went to the University of Arkansas where she was the only woman and the only African studying for an advanced degree in agriculture.

Both Emmanuel and Mary earned PhDs in agricultural science and returned to Tanzania. Their paths converged again at the International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics and the USAID-funded Sorghum and Millet Improvement project. Dr. Monyo and Dr. Mgonja are part of a team of international scientists who developed improved varieties of sorghum and millet that are now growing in the fields of subsistence farmers throughout Southern Africa, improving food security for millions of people.

USAID/ RCSA - Success Stories