Kindfund

Backgound

Among the poor; young children, orphans, the deaf, the blind, the sick and the elderly were our priorities but we were continually faced with young men and women seeking help to go to secondary education.  

How can we help these young people many of whom were late starting primary school because they were too poor to pay (Primary education became free from 2003) and they were now in their very late teens? 

How can we enable them to compete with children from the more prosperous parts of Kenya?  What is the best we can do for them? 

When we honestly responded to these questions we concluded that helping them complete secondary education was the best support we could give.  The persistence of one mother who did not want her daughter married off young to an old man or for her to be burning charcoal to scrape a living like herself led us to support our first secondary school student. She is now in her final of four years and from January 2008 Kindfund is supporting 42 young people through secondary education. This year as well as Turkana and Samburu young people we have extended our support to four Rendille very few of whom reach secondary education. 2008 is also the first year we have sponsored to Polytechnic.

Costs

Secondary Education costs per annum in school fees from 28,000ks (£200) to 35,000ks (£290) and above depending on the school. This year 2008 the Government has made a contribution of 10,000ks towards each child’s costs which has been mainly offset by rising costs. In addition on starting all personal items for boarding have to be purchased usually amounting to another one off 10,000ks (£85) and the young person needs travel expenses as schools can be at a distance. On top of all this additional books and items have to be purchased as the education progresses.In such circumstances it is clear why most pastoralist children forego secondary education.

We have found there is a great deal of injustice in the system which can frustrate us and make conditions very difficult for the most disadvantaged. Please pray for us as we seek to expose injustice and reprsent the poor to those in key positions. Pray for favour.

If you would like to help you can sponsor a young person through four years of secondary education for £20 (€29) per month