Fund scholarships for students to attend Secondary and Post-Secondary School

Due to the profound success of our primary school lunch program and Umoja's portfolio of support services, more children than ever are finishing primary school. In addition, an increasing number of students are performing well enough on their end of primary school exam (KCPE) to qualify for scholarships through Umoja Partnership's tuition assistance program. This past year, we were able to provide tuition scholarships for 211 secondary school students and stipends (partial scholarships) to 100 secondary school students. 100% of our Class 8 graduates matriculated to Secondary School. In addition, we provided tuition assistance for 60 Umoja Partnership students to realize their dream of attending college.

In Kenya, the average cost of one year of secondary school is $250 while the average cost to attend one year of a post-secondary degree or certification program is $350. Without financial support, our students simply are unable to continue their education. As a result, when we fund a Form 1 student in their first year of high school, we commit to funding them through secondary and a chance to attend post-secondary.

In 2022, we will have 80 students preparing to enter high school in addition to the students we supported last year. Ultimately, our vision is to raise enough funds to ensure that Umoja Partnership can provide every student who qualifies a $250 tuition scholarship to secondary school or a $350 tuition scholarship to a post-secondary degree or certificate program. Another challenge is with the post-pandemic correction Kenya is squeezing three years of education into two years which means the Umoja Project will need to pay two years of tuition in the same fiscal year. We need your help more than ever!

The goal of the 2021-2022 Step UP 4 Education Campaign is to raise $60,000 which will enable us to close the gap between those who qualify for our assistance and the number of children we can fund for secondary and post-secondary school. We also have a $20,000 matching offer to make your donation count more. Every donation you make up to $20,000 will be matched 100%.

Your contribution provides a brighter future for students like Collins. After losing his parents, Collins joined the Umoja family in Class 6 (6th grade) and started receiving school lunch and other services. He has just finished Electrical Engineering at Kisumu National Polytechnic and will be graduating soon. Collins explained that he became grateful for the holes in his roof because it allowed some light to come in: "God brings us the moon, so we can study."

You can bring light and hope to motivated Kenyan students who lack resources to continue their education beyond eight years of primary school.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if every Umoja scholar could attend high school?

Can you help us meet our goal?