Education For Africa — since 2009
Introduction
The level of education in Kenya is still very low. Until recently (2003), parents had to pay school fees for their children from basic school to university. The new government which came to power in 2003 tried to initiate free primary school for all. This program is, however, hampered by a lack of funds, and thus many students — especially from very poor families — cannot even complete their primary education. In many cases, students from such families drop out of school and become involved in child labour in order to support themselves or their families.
Even where children can attend basic school, the future of most bright students remains bleak as they are forced to drop out of high school due to poverty. The main objective of this project is therefore to support mainly high-school education for bright students from poor families in Kenyan slums and other related areas. In Nairobi alone there are five million inhabitants, with more than half living in absolute poverty or on less than 2 USD a day.
Kenyan secondary education system
High-school education in Kenya is not compulsory and all students must pay fees. The available government secondary schools are not enough, which has led to an increased number of private and church-run schools. Every year, 30% of bright students from poor families drop out of school due to lack of school fees. Without high-school education, these youths cannot fit into most available employment opportunities.
The high-school program in Kenya lasts four years, with three semesters each year (January–April, May–August and September–November). Successful completion leads to the Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education.
Fees for high-school education
School fees vary depending on whether the school is run by the government, privately or by a church, and whether it is a boarding or day school. In general, fees range from 45,000–60,000 Kenyan shillings ($395–530) per year, paid in three instalments at the beginning of every semester.
The Czechoslovak Hussite Church education support
Apart from the Czech government offering three scholarships every year to Kenyan students to study in the Czech Republic, the Czechoslovak Hussite Church also facilitated the sponsorship of Kenyan students in the Czech Republic. Among the beneficiaries are Dr. Phanuel Osweto and Eng. Nixon Lenaiyara, who founded the project “Africa for Africa”. The objective of the project is to give back to the community by identifying needy students who can be supported to change their lives and those of their families and communities.
The current education support project
Building on the success of the above programs, we have developed an education support project to extend this vital support to more students in Kenya. The project supports concrete students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to finish their high-school education due to poverty. Detailed conditions for selecting students and communicating with sponsors are described on the Scholarship page.