Children of Kibera Foundation: February 2011

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Erick goes to School

Erick is the fourth born in a family of six. His father is deceased and that leaves his mother as the sole breadwinner. She sells vegetables and washes for people clothes in nearby well-to-do neighborhoods to make ends meet, this is however unstable. She depends on well wishers to support her four children in school. Two in High School, two in Primary.

Ericks journey to High School is a unique one. He had applied for the CoKF Scholarship but was not successful; after exploring all alternative organizations given to him in a list, he was not lucky too. By this stage, time was first running out and his mother had nowhere else to fall back to.

This situation was first becoming a unique one out of the many I get to deal with on a day to day basis in the office. The numerous visits Erick and his mother made to our office despite the gone chance of scholarship, the persistence of his mother, the desperation on his face and the hunger to learn in Erick’s eye got my mind in a spin.

I visited equity bank Kibera branch and launched an appeal to the operations manager-Jane Apiyo who after consultation with her fellow workmates did an impromptu fundraising that managed to carter for his first term’s fees and school uniform, with help of other friends we managed to get him shoes and modest personal effects. Thank you very much to all the staff at Equity bank Kibera branch for your help.

We were able to beat the admission deadline and enrolled him at Pumwani high School on Monday, the 14^th day of February.

Erick is now in school, very grateful but not in a comfort zone for he knows not where his second term’s Fees will come from.

‘ My journey into becoming an Engineer has begun on a Valentine’s Day, the best Love gesture one can ever experience in life, I will be forever grateful’

(Erick Otieno)

Mama Erick, Jane and Erick

Erick together with the staff at Equity Kibera Branch

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Children of Kibera Foundation Awards 9 Scholarships.

Nine scholars from the Kibera Slums have a reason to smile after receiving full high school scholarship that will see them through their education in various Provincial and National schools across the country. This was made possible by Children of Kibera Foundation.

These top performers from primary schools situated in Kibera slums are not worried of missing their slots in various Provincial and Nationals schools as their tuition and boarding fees are fully catered for, thanks to scholarships awarded by Children of Kibera Foundation. Six of the nine scholars have since joined their respective schools; the remaining three are due to report on the 15^th of February.

The journey to these scholarships started way back before these top achievers sat for their KCPE exams, out of the hundreds of hopefuls who filled the forms, it is from the pool who made the cut off mark which was pegged at 370 marks that this group was selected. This was followed by individual interviews and subsequent actual home visits as the decision on who deserved the scholarship was anchored on merit plus need.

Despite all the challenges they went through, they managed to excel in their academics and most of them saw this scholarship scheme as God sent. Sheila Awino, a beneficiary who has since joined State House Girls had this to say “my dream of becoming a surgeon is going to become a reality, with this scholarship at hand, the future is worth waiting for” we wish them all the best in their various secondary schools.