Support Goodnews on His Journey to Becoming a Pharmacist

Our friend Goodnews Dhieu Mayom just got accepted into the University of British Columbia’s Doctor of Pharmacy program. At the age of 9, Goodnews fled South Sudan as a refugee without his parents. He spent 10 years as a refugee, first in Kenya and then in Uganda, and his education was interrupted many times. But Goodnews never gave up. He worked very hard and was always the best student in every class, even becoming the top student in Northern Uganda in 2015.

In December 2020, Goodnews came to Canada all by himself through the Student Refugee Program (SRP) of the World University Service of Canada (WUSC). Since his 12-month SRP sponsorship ended, Goodnews has continued to support himself while pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Biology at York University, which he is set to finish this summer. He also helped 15 other refugee students get scholarships and bursaries within Uganda and Canada through a non-profit organization he co-founded.

Goodnews’s passion for becoming a pharmacist is deeply personal. In 2017 and 2013, he tragically lost his best friend and his little nephew because they were given incorrect prescriptions. He also lost his brother's wife during a C-section because a cotton swab was left inside her during stitching, causing her death and leaving behind twin girls. These painful experiences not only broke his heart and spirit but also strengthened his resolve to become a pharmacist.

Goodnews is excellent in Chemistry and Mathematics and has experience as a Pharmacy Assistant at Rexdale Walmart. He wants to harness his experiences and skills to become a licensed pharmacist who helps patients make the best use of their medicines. His goal is to prevent such tragic and preventable hospital deaths in marginalized communities. He dreams of starting his own pharmacy someday to help even more people.

We need your help to raise CA $67,200 for his first-year tuition, books, and living expenses. Your donation will help Goodnews continue his studies and have a lasting impact on the many people he will help as a compassionate, patient-centred pharmacist.