How a nurse from Sierra Leone broadened her perspective at ITM
When Fatmata Bintu Kargbo talks about the Romain De Cock Scholarship, she pauses for a moment. Then she smiles. “Without this scholarship, I would never have been able to pursue this master’s programme,” she says. “It has been a life-changing opportunity.”
Fatmata comes from Sierra Leone, where she works as a nurse specialising in infection prevention and control. In her daily role, she trains staff within the Ministry of Health and is involved in monitoring disease outbreaks and healthcare-associated infections. Today, she is in Antwerp, where she is in the final stages of her Master of Science in Public Health at the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM).
Her decision to take this step stems from the challenges she sees in her country’s healthcare system. “I want to contribute to strengthening the health system in Sierra Leone,” she explains. “As a nurse, I cared for individual patients, but I wanted to learn how to create impact on a larger scale: within communities, health systems, and even at the national level.”
“I was impressed by ITM's practical approach. The lecturers place great emphasis on understanding the context, not just the theory. That is what makes studying here so valuable.”
She found that broader perspective through the Public Health programme at ITM. Building on her expertise in nursing and infection prevention, she gained new insights into policy development, programme management, and evaluating health system performance. “After seven months in the programme, I can proudly say that I have acquired a great deal of knowledge and skills. They will give me more opportunities to drive change when I return home.”
Returning home is central to her future plans. Fatmata hopes to apply her newly acquired knowledge to her work in infection prevention and antimicrobial resistance, a growing challenge for health systems worldwide. She also wants to contribute to improving healthcare in the capital Freetown and across Sierra Leone.
This is not her first experience at ITM. Previously, she attended a short course on hospital-based interventions to contain antibiotic resistance in low-resource settings. That experience convinced her to return. “I was impressed by the practical approach. The lecturers place great emphasis on understanding the context, not just the theory. That is what makes studying here so valuable.”
Outside the classroom, she has also found her place in Antwerp. When the pressure of working on her thesis becomes overwhelming, she likes to unwind along the River Scheldt. “I often run into fellow students there who had exactly the same idea,” she laughs. “It’s a wonderful place to relax.”
What touches her most, however, is the support she receives as an international student. “The staff and lecturers do everything they can to make sure we don’t feel far from home. I truly appreciate that.”
The impact of the scholarship is difficult to overstate. As a nurse in Sierra Leone, Fatmata earns around €300 per month. She also helps support her family financially. Saving enough money for an international master’s degree would have taken years. “This scholarship opened a door that would otherwise have remained closed.”
As a result, she sees her studies not only as a personal opportunity, but also as a responsibility. “It motivates me to work hard and make the most of this programme. I want to share the knowledge I gain here with others, so they can benefit from it as well.”
As graduation approaches, Fatmata is already looking ahead: to her work in Sierra Leone, to the colleagues with whom she hopes to share her new insights, and to the changes she wants to help bring about. “This opportunity has broadened my horizons,” she says. “Now I want to turn that knowledge into concrete impact in the context I know best: my own country."
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