Educated
Building hope for the future, through education & confidence, for every background
Education provides the most effective route out of poverty for young people.
We reach beyond our centres and give grants to deprived children in poor communities so they can attend school, vocational training or University.
They are encouraged to socialise and make new friends. This experience helps them when they embark on their future life. Their progress is monitored by our social workers and, where necessary, we provide additional tuition and counselling after school.
The children are highly motivated to do well in class or arts or sports. Our goal is to give them academic and life skills that will enable them to get employment and have a secure independent future.
Huge potential for bright, young, lively children is wasted every year. You can make so much difference, and by a regular donation of £10 per month, you can offer those children the security they need to get back on their feet and flourish.
We are proud to support the education of 65 children in a special-needs class at a school in nearby Thika.
Educational grants are assessed by our team of social workers and outreach staff, to ensure it is correctly given, and aligned with any other support families need
We are also immensely proud of our Women Leader’s Programme, through which we are supporting the education of 20 girls, including their mentoring by both African and International mentors.
Developing Kenya's Women Leaders
In 2021 we proudly launched our Women Leaders Programme (WLP), to support 20 girls from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds to become women leaders and role models in their communities. Thank you to everyone that has supported this initiative with a donation.
With your help we are providing educational support, comprehensive mentoring, and world-class leadership training for 10 girls at university and 10 girls at high school.
They will develop skills, knowledge, and confidence to become self-sustaining adults in paid employment or running their own businesses. In return the girls committed to mentoring a younger girl through their education, and sharing their learning with their families and communities.
No sooner had the girls started their university courses then Covid restrictions were reimposed across Kenya, which meant courses went online or were postponed. Universities re-opened in September and were trying to make up lost time (and revenue) by consolidating courses into fewer years. This put more pressure on the girls, so the mentoring element of the programme became even more important. Sadly, they did not reduced total fees to reflect the shorter time frame!
Schools were closed again in 2021, so we had to wait until August to welcome the ten girls to the high school version of the programme. Despite Covid, our team in Kenya has worked tirelessly with the girls, their families, educational institutions and mentors to induct the girls into the programme and set them up for success.
Barriers to higher education
When starting boarding school or university in Kenya there are lots of up-front first year expenses, including basic items such as bedding, stationery, uniforms and personal items. All the girls come from very needy families that cannot afford to pay for these items or school/university fees. WLP support removes that up-front cost barrier and means that the girls will complete their full education – unlike most of girls from their communities.
Getting Started
Mentoring – a vital ingredient
Each girl has a Kenyan mentor and an international mentor. Both are professional women committed to supporting the girls over the course of the programme. We had another zoom meeting that brought all the mentors together so they could meet the Trustees, share ideas and receive a thorough briefing before they met their mentees. They were all excited to be working with the girls, supporting them and learning from them.
Tiffany
Despite a very difficult start in life, being passed between different relatives whilst her parents struggled with addiction and an attempt to marry her off at age 15, this young high school student did very well at primary school finishing towards the top of her class. She was in the debate club and vice-chair of her church group. Her ambition is to become a family lawyer.
“By joining WLP, I will be able to focus fully on my studies knowing that my family will not be struggling with my fees. I intend to be of help to others when I finish school to the best of my capabilities.”
The grit and determination of these young women, in the face of the most incredible adversity and home circumstances, is matched only by their joy, enthusiasm and infectious optimism.
When I speak with Ivyne, she is full of careful reflection and holds herself to exceptionally high standards, thinking always of how to improve herselves, and how to help others around her.
If these women were applying for a role with me, I would be honored to take them on, and have them bring their skills and attitude to any team I was a part of.
When you think of how little it costs, in international terms, to provide the support of these women and girls through education, it makes me want to pile everything into it; I would 100% recommend to support in whatever way you can, whether that be a donation or joining us as a mentor.”
We cannot do this without your support.
We turn away deserving families and young people every week, who cannot afford to continue their education. When we support, we need to be able to commit to those families, all the way through their need. Your donation will be the reason a child gets that education, and will change their future.
£xxxx is the fees we pay for a high-school student to attend college
£yyyy is a uniform, books, and writing materials
£zzzz allows us to purchase a university student the basic bedding she needs when moving away from home for the first time