From left: KCB Foundation Head of Programmes Rachel Gathoni CEO M-PESA Foundation Academy CEO Les Baillie and KCB Senior Manager Partnerships John Waimiri in a conversation during a visit by KCB Foundation to the institution on 27 April 2018.
By Jerry Abuga
KCB Foundation is working towards providing scholarships at the M-PESA Foundation Academy exclusively for children living with disabilities from the 47 counties in the country.
KCB Foundation and M-PESA Foundation Academy have announced plans to progressively sponsor bright but needy students living with disabilities at the premier institution. Beginning this year, KCB Foundation has partnered with M-PESA Foundation Academy to support secondary school education for 47 students at the school, who include children living with disability.
In the coming years KCB Foundation seeks to provide scholarships at the M-PESA Foundation Academy exclusively for children living with disabilities from the 47 counties in the country. Currently 961 students are enrolled in the KCB Foundation scholarship programme, with 157 being students living with disabilities.
“We are cognisant of the challenges children living with disabilities face in our ordinary schools as well as the accompanying costs for the institutions in efforts to address their situation. It is out of this that we are collaborating with M-PESA Foundation Academy owing to its inclusive learning environment and advanced infrastructure for students with disabilities. Additionally, the institution’s well – resourced faculty and emphasis on the holistic development of students in academics, technology, music, sports, the arts, outdoor pursuits and community service makes it a worthy choice for our endeavor,” said KCB Foundation Executive Director Jane Mwangi during a visit to the institution on Friday, 27 April 2018.
The 47 students selected from across counties in Kenya will receive support for four years of secondary school education at a total annual cost of Ksh 4.7 million. The scholarship caters for full school fees, stationery and uniform. The students will also be assigned to a mentor from their home branch for quarterly one-on-one mentorship sessions.
“These students are part of 240 bright but needy students across Kenya who sat for the 2017 KCPE that KCB Foundation is supporting. Every year 40 out of the 240 slots are reserved for students with physical, visual and hearing disabilities as a deliberate effort to integrate students living with disabilities into the conventional school system,” said Ms Mwangi. “Through this scholarship the Foundation seeks to address challenges faced by children living with disabilities in school and to contribute towards increasing their transition rates between primary and secondary school”.
The KCB Foundation scholarship programme has thus far awarded 1,312 beneficiaries from across the country and invested over 400 Million shillings. 10 percent of the beneficiaries are students living with disabilities.
M-PESA Foundation Academy CEO Les Baillie said the institution remains committed to offering a world-class, well-rounded learning environment to develop the future leaders of the African continent.
He announced plans for collaborations with American-based institutions in sponsoring students completing their studies at the school to pursue higher learning in top American universities.
“We are addressing the issue of transition to institutions of higher learning for our students as most of them come from needy backgrounds. We envision long-term support to enable them complete their academic journey,” said Baillie.
“We welcome partners such as KCB Foundation to walk with us, and our students, as we endeavor to change their lives. We believe that by changing a child’s life, we positively impact their future, their community, Kenya and the world,” he said.
