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Memorial scholarship to be created after LMH student dies

A scholarship fund for gifted students has been created in the memory of John Ddungu, a Lady Margaret Hall student who died in February.

John Kavuma Ddungu Memorial Trust for Academic and Sports has been created by the mother of the student.

The fund will support talented children from “Britain and all over the world” who “don’t have the opportunity and don’t know the system.”

Gladys May Kavuma explained that she decided to set up the trust in order to honour her son’s memory. She wanted to realize her son’s dream to set up a charity to help children in Africa.

She said to This is Croydon Today newspaper, “Last July he told me that he wanted to set up a charity to help children in Africa to go to school in the UK. He said to me that he wanted deprived children to have the same chance that he had.”

Ms Kavuma revealed has been left “numb” not knowing what caused her son’s death.

She explained, “It hasn’t really sunk in.”

Since Ddungu’s death many messages of support have appeared on his personal webpage.

Ms Kavuma commented, “Reading his Facebook page makes me see how many friends he had and lives he touched.”

She added, “I just need to know what happened to him. I’ve seen his body, which helped because he looked peaceful. I think it will hit me at the funeral but for now I am being strong.”

Ms Kavuma asked all those who attended John’s funeral to make a contribution to the fund instead of bringing flowers. She will need to raise £5,000 to register the charity.
The cause of the death is currently unknown. However, the police are not treating the death as suspicious.

LMH Principal Frances Lannon, speaking through the University Press Office, said “We were shocked and profoundly saddened by the death of John Ddungu, a second-year undergraduate at Lady Margaret Hall. Our thoughts and deepest sympathy are with his family and friends at this very difficult time.”

Sourav Choudhury, JCR President at LMH, echoed Lannon’s sentiments. “John was a universally popular and well liked student within LMH. His death has naturally upset and touched both his close friends and the wider college community. At this difficult time we ask to be allowed to grieve in private.”

 

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