Educational Support
Number of Children Impacted:
1,000
Countries:
Kenya, India and Uganda
How:
Supporting children in secondary, primary and differently-abled schools, as well as universities and vocational training
1. Higher Education Support, Kenya, 2021 – ongoing
Secondary and higher education is increasingly vital in today’s world. It really boosts the chances of employment, and for girls it’s a chance to study well without having to also manage home chores, early relationships, early marriage and teenage pregnancies. This education is literally life-changing and most of the students would otherwise be languishing at home or doing manual labour despite being very bright.
We currently support more than 450 children in secondary school in Kenya. Where necessary, we also support the students with uniforms and personal items for boarding school such as mattresses, blankets, trunks, uniforms, textbooks, bedsheets etc and supported with fare to and from school (the boarding schools are often very far from their homes).
We are still constantly getting pleas to help students with school fees for secondary school, many of which are boarding schools. Times are very hard in Kenya right now and a lot of families are really struggling. Even those who were doing okay are now out of work and unable to carry on, with children dropping out of school. Some children are orphans or have parents or caretakers with medical problems.
We are constantly looking for sponsors to enable us to help more children, so please get in touch if you would like to help. The cost is anywhere between £70 to £350 a year, depending on whether it is a day or boarding school, and the level of excellence of the school. Thank you!
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2. Primary School Support, Kenya and Uganda
As part of our family support programme in Kenya, we support children in very vulnerable families with primary school education, including school lunches, school uniform, shoes, school bags, exercise books and stationery. We also buy exam equipment for the ones who are sitting National Exams.
We are currently supporting more than 100 children in Kakamega County and supported 15 rescued street children in primary education in Uganda in 2022/23 through the charity S.A.L.V.E. International.
3. University and Vocational Training
As part of our higher education programme, we are supporting 31 very bright and vulnerable students at university in Kenya. They are doing courses such as BSc in Marine Engineering, LLB, BSc Education, BSc Computer Science, BSc Food Science and Nutrition and BSc Actuarial Science with IT. A few are doing Diplomas, such as Diploma in Procurement and Logistics Management, but we mainly support students who are doing university degrees. We provide them with laptops or iPads where needed to enable them to keep up with the increasing use of online classes by universities.
We are also supporting 17 students in vocational training in Kenya. They are doing courses such as Welding, Fashion Design & Garment Making, Hairdressing, Masonry, Cosmetology and Knitting. This is particularly useful for students in our Family Support Programmes who are not very bright or have not had a strong foundation in education and therefore are not able to do well at university. Some of them are also not able to continue in high school due to very low grades. Vocational training helps ensure that they are able to earn a decent living and support themselves and their families in the future.
We also supported the education of 40 young women in Sayla, Gujarat at the Ladakchand Manekchand Vora College of Arts and Commerce in 2022. It is difficult for girls to access education in rural India. It is very likely that these young women would not have been able to study this far without the provision of this facility in a small town like Sayla.
4. Differently Abled Children- Kenya and India
We are supporting 33 differently abled children in Kenya in boarding school. They have conditions ranging from cerebral palsy, autism, deafness, Down’s Syndrome, hydrocephalus, osteogenesis imperfecta etc.
We also donated to educate, rehabilitate and empower 18 differently-abled children at the Ashirvad Trust for the Disabled in Sayla, Gujarat in 2022. The Trust also raises awareness for disabled persons, does advocacy work, facilitates the provision of funds and rights, runs mental health services and inclusive livelihood programmes, and runs a regional sports competition for children with disabilities.
