Scholarship Application Letter Midwife in Sri Lanka Colombo – Free Word Template Download with AI

For Advanced Midwifery Education in Sri Lanka Colombo

Dr. Anura Samarasinghe
Scholarship Committee Chairperson
National Health Service Foundation of Sri Lanka (NHSF)
123 Hospital Road, Colombo 07

Date: October 26, 2023

Dear Dr. Samarasinghe and Esteemed Scholarship Committee,

It is with profound respect for Sri Lanka's healthcare legacy and an unwavering commitment to maternal well-being that I submit this Scholarship Application Letter for the Advanced Midwifery Program at the Faculty of Health Care Sciences, University of Colombo. As a dedicated Midwife serving in underserved communities across Sri Lanka Colombo, I have witnessed firsthand the critical intersection between quality midwifery care and national health outcomes – a reality that fuels my determination to pursue advanced education through your esteemed scholarship program.

My journey as a Midwife began during my Diploma in Midwifery at the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (Colombo 07) in 2018. Over five years, I have served as a Community Health Midwife across three districts of Colombo – Battaramulla, Maharagama, and Dehiwala. These experiences exposed me to Sri Lanka Colombo's unique healthcare challenges: the urban-rural disparity in maternal care access, the growing burden of adolescent pregnancies (32% of maternal cases under 25 in Colombo), and the persistent gaps in emergency obstetric care for low-income families. I recall a particularly poignant moment during monsoon season when a young mother from Kolonnawa was stranded for hours due to flooded roads, delaying critical postpartum care. This incident crystallized my understanding that transformative midwifery practice requires both clinical expertise and systemic advocacy – precisely what the advanced scholarship would provide.

During my service, I developed three key initiatives directly addressing Colombo's maternal health gaps. First, I co-founded the "Safe Birth Collective" with local NGOs to train community volunteers in emergency newborn resuscitation – reaching over 1,200 families in slum areas of Moratuwa. Second, I implemented a digital pregnancy tracking system using free SMS services for low-literacy communities (adopted by 45% of patients at my health center), reducing missed prenatal appointments by 68%. Third, I established partnerships with Colombo's Maternity Hospitals to create a referral pathway for high-risk pregnancies, cutting maternal complication rates by 29% in my catchment area. These projects were funded through micro-grants from the Ministry of Health, but required advanced clinical knowledge I am now seeking to acquire.

The Advanced Midwifery Program at University of Colombo represents the ideal platform for my professional evolution. Your curriculum's emphasis on 'Community-Based Maternal Health Systems' and 'Urban Healthcare Innovation' directly aligns with Sri Lanka Colombo's national health priorities outlined in the National Health Plan 2021-2030. Specifically, I am eager to specialize in perinatal mental health – an area severely under-resourced in Colombo where postpartum depression affects 18% of mothers (vs. 7% nationally). The scholarship's focus on 'Midwife-Led Care Models' would enable me to develop culturally appropriate screening tools for Sinhala and Tamil-speaking urban communities, addressing a critical gap documented in the World Health Organization's 2022 Colombo Health Assessment Report.

My commitment to Sri Lanka Colombo extends beyond clinical practice. I have already contributed to policy discussions through my role as a Youth Representative for the Colombo Municipal Council's Health Committee (2021-2023), advocating for midwife deployment in 15 new community health centers across high-density neighborhoods. The scholarship would empower me to translate these grassroots experiences into evidence-based solutions. For instance, I plan to research the impact of mobile clinics on reducing maternal mortality in Colombo's informal settlements – a project I've already initiated with preliminary data collection from my current practice site at the Borella Health Complex.

Financially, this scholarship is not merely an opportunity but a necessity. As the sole provider for my elderly parents and younger sibling in Kotte, I cannot afford the full tuition fee of LKR 2.8 million (approx. USD 8,500) without external support. The scholarship's comprehensive coverage would alleviate this burden while allowing me to focus entirely on clinical excellence – an investment that yields exponential returns for Sri Lanka Colombo's healthcare system through reduced maternal mortality costs (estimated at LKR 12 billion annually in the capital city).

What distinguishes this Scholarship Application Letter is my concrete post-graduation plan to establish Colombo's first 'Midwife Innovation Hub' – a center dedicated to training community midwives in telemedicine, emergency response, and mental health support. This initiative would directly serve the 47% of Colombo residents living below the poverty line who face geographic barriers to care. With your scholarship as foundation, I will partner with institutions like Lady Ridgeway Hospital and the University of Colombo's Center for Women's Health to scale this model citywide within five years, targeting a 40% reduction in preventable maternal deaths by 2030.

Sri Lanka Colombo stands at a pivotal moment in its healthcare journey. As we celebrate the nation's success in reducing child mortality (now 16 per 1,000 live births), maternal health remains our most urgent frontier. This scholarship represents more than financial aid; it is an investment in transforming Colombo's midwifery landscape through evidence-based practice, community-centered innovation, and sustainable healthcare delivery. My journey from a young Midwife serving flood-affected families in Moratuwa to becoming a leader in urban maternal health aligns perfectly with the NHSF's mission to 'Build Healthy Communities for All Sri Lankans.'

I am deeply grateful for your consideration of this Scholarship Application Letter. I have attached my academic transcripts, community project reports, and letters of recommendation from Dr. Chamika Perera (Senior Obstetrician, Colombo National Hospital) and Ms. Nadeesha Fernando (Health Inspector, Colombo Municipal Council). I welcome the opportunity to discuss how my vision for advancing midwifery care in Sri Lanka Colombo can contribute to your scholarship's legacy of nurturing healthcare leaders.

Respectfully submitted,

Kumari A. Perera

Diploma in Midwifery, Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children

Community Health Midwife, Colombo Municipal Council (2018-Present)

Mobile: +94 77 123 4567 | Email: [email protected]

This Scholarship Application Letter is submitted with full compliance to the National Health Service Foundation's guidelines. Word count: 842