The Jeroen Ensink Memorial Fund commemorates the life and work of Dr Jeroen Ensink.
Jeroen was an internationally-renowned water engineer and dedicated humanitarian who was a popular much-loved member of the LSHTM community. He was passionately committed to improving access to water and sanitation worldwide, including in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where children continue to die due to the lack of essential services.
The fund was established following his tragic death in December 2015 to support MSc scholarships for talented students from sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia to undertake an MSc in Public Health for Development.
In 2019 Simon Oware Kadima was awarded the Ensink Memorial Fund
“Since graduating with a BSc in Environmental Health from my home country Kenya, I have had the opportunity to work with several international humanitarian agencies, including World Vision, Danish Refugee Council and Save the Children. I am passionate about working with communities affected by the devastating effects of humanitarian crises and have a keen interest in Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), child protection and health. I applied to the programme at LSHTM to advance my knowledge in public health for LMICs and enhance my skills for work in the humanitarian sector.
“The Jeroen Ensink Memorial Fund Scholarship made it possible for me to enrol in a program comprising of students from diverse backgrounds, with rich public health experience from varied contexts. We have had peer-learning sessions that have broadened my perspective and knowledge of public health programming. I also found the module selections for the programme fulfilling, since they spoke directly to my areas of interest, e.g. the WASH & Health and Conflict & Health modules. Through my tutor, I was introduced to the Environmental Health Group at LSHTM, which produces world-class research in WASH & Health. The group is made up of professionals with extensive experience of the implementation and management of environmental health interventions in LMICs.
“The highlight of my academic year was a disease outbreak investigation exercise in the ‘Epidemiology and Control of Communicable Diseases’ module. This activity coincided with the escalation of the COVID-19 outbreak. The relevance of the module and the perspective that I gained amid the international reaction and response to the pandemic cannot be overstated. It has been equally inspiring to witness our module leaders and other lead researchers at LSHTM being involved in both the UK government and global response strategies.
“On completion of the MSc programme I intend to resume work in the humanitarian sector. I will look out for public health opportunities in both national and international humanitarian organisations working towards attaining durable solutions for the most vulnerable during crises. I will leverage the knowledge and skills I have gained to enhance and foster quality programming within the humanitarian sector.
“I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Jeroen Ensink Memorial Fund for the generous support towards my tuition, accommodation, and travel to attend a School that is notably the leading centre for global and public health education and research.“