Edmund Katusabe celebrates his graduation from medical school in Mwanza, Tanzania, in 2024. Catholics in the Quad Cities have financially supported Katusabe’s education.
By Tim Millea
For The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — Over the past six years, the Quad Cities Catholic community has worked to improve health care for people more than 8,000 miles away by financially supporting a young Tanzanian man’s dream of becoming a physician. That dream has been realized, and the potential impact of this American support continues to grow.
The initial fundraising was carried out by members of the St. Thomas Aquinas Guild, composed of Catholic health care professionals and under the auspices of the national Catholic Medical Association (CMA). The guild heard about the young man, Edmund Katusabe, though Father Fortunatus Rwehizika, a Tanzanian priest who was studying at St. Ambrose University at the time. Katusabe had been a high school student of Father Fortunatus. The priest realized that Katusabe’s family resources would not be able to pay for his medical school education. Donor support — which grew to include benefactors from outside the medical community — made it possible for Katusabe to enroll at the Catholic medical school in Mwanza, Tanzania, in late 2019.
Despite disruptions in his education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Katusabe graduated from medical school in November 2024. He then progressed to his internship year, which is as challenging and exhausting in Tanzania as it is here. He finished that training in November 2025. Throughout the past several years, Katusabe has considered a variety of medical specialties for further training. However, one theme has been consistent. From the time he started medical school to the present, he has voiced a desire to do all he can to improve medical care for his fellow Tanzanians who currently have very limited access to basic health care. Concerns that we may take for granted are significant issues for them. Prevention of infectious diseases, clean water, adequate maternal care, and many other basic needs are not being met. Ultimately, the recognition of severe lack of services and access led Katusabe to make a decision about his future mission. In a recent email, Katusabe wrote that “the challenges I observed in health care here have prompted me to feel the need to contribute at a broader level,” and “I am convinced I need to be involved in health systems and research to intervene in the public and clinical health care challenges.”
Katusabe applied and was accepted to a master’s degree program in Public Health Interventions and Research at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST) in Arusha, Tanzania. This program provides in-depth training in epidemiology as well as public health interventions and research focused on improvement of health care delivery, systems and policies throughout Tanzania. He said he is excited to begin this demanding two-year program later this month.
One factor has not changed over the past six years. Katusabe’s financial resources remain very limited. As prior Catholic Messenger articles have noted, his father is disabled as a result of a stroke many years ago and his mother has had surgeries for a very difficult and complex gynecological problem. In addition, the pay interns receive from the Tanzanian government is exceptionally low, scarcely covering simple living expenses. In an attempt to help Katusabe help his fellow Tanzanians, additional fundraising is now under way to cover the costs of his master’s education.
As was true with medical school in Tanzania, the costs of his master’s program are much lower than in the U.S. Costs for Katusabe’s education will be approximately $2,000 per year, which is very similar to his annual costs for medical school. Donations are arriving from his past supporters, and as this information spreads, additional contributions will hopefully be received. It should be noted that due to the federal government’s concerns about international funding, donations are not tax-deductible. However, any support will be transferred directly to Edmund’s graduate school to pay for his education. Donation checks can be made to “Fortunatus Fund” and mailed to: Fortunatus Fund, 2939 East 44th Court, Davenport, IA 52807.
As he looks forward to starting his new pursuit, Katusabe has reiterated his confidence in “being open to the Holy Spirit’s guidance,” leading him to this decision. His gratitude has been consistent and sincere throughout this entire process. In his words, “the passion to serve my fellow Tanzanians as a doctor has always been clear to me, and the support of my American friends has already touched many Tanzanians, and will touch many more in the future. Thank you for your ongoing support for my education and growth. May God bless you all.”
