Ken-YEAH: Christine in the Peace Corps: Kenya Education Fund

When I came to my school one of the first things that I did was to ask my principal about the main challenges that the school and the students face. The very first thing that she told me was school fees. In Kenya, primary school education is free, but secondary education is only minimally subsidized. This means that many students are not able to access a secondary education. It is even harder for girls to access secondary education due to the cultural institutions which place an emphasis on educating boys, while girls are often seen as merely future dowry opportunities for the family. Girls’ education has recently become a priority of the national government but the funding is lacking to make an impact at the local level for girls education. In Nyanza province, where my school is located, especially in areas in close proximity to Lake Victoria, the issues of poverty and high prevalence of HIV/AIDS compounds the issue of education. Families often struggle to put food on the table and as a result education becomes a luxury. Families often also suffer the death of the main income generator in the family which forces them into further poverty or forces them to become dependent on extended family members. The students at my school often dependent on extended family members to pay their schools fees and when this person dies they are once again forced to drop out of school. A students ability to concentrate in the classroom is greatly affected by the anxiety of not knowing where their school fees will come from, if their families are eating or if their parents are going to live through the next year

In an effort to help my students with the challenge of school fees, I helped a handful of my neediest students apply for a scholarship through the Kenya Education Fund. Out of the girls that applied 3 were chosen for full sponsorship. Kenya Education Fund is a nonprofit organization that supports needy students in Kenya. Through donors in America it provides students with a full scholarship for their secondary education. Please check out their website www.kenyaeducationfund.org They are doing amazing work in Kenya and if you feel so inclined, you can donate through their website. You can even specify that you would like your donations to go to Bande Girls' School students and your donations are tax deductible.

The three girls who are now sponsored by KEF were invited to Kisumu last weekend for a workshop where they learned about leadership, entrepreneurship, how to succeed in their studies and a number of other topics. I went with the students and they were beyond excited to go and visit "the big city" and also to meet the other KEF students. They had a great time and it was such an amazing feeling to see these girls be inspired to continue with their education. Here are some pictures from our adventure.