KENYAN NEEDY STUDENTS TO BE SPONSORED BY FAMILY GROUP FOUNDATION

FAMILY GROUP FOUNDATION TO SPEND KES 30 MILLION ON SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NEEDY STUDENTS

 

By Vera Shawiza

 

Family Group Foundation will spend KES 30 million on scholarships

for students from needy backgrounds joining form 1 this year.

 

 

The funds, channelled through the Family Group Foundation 2021

High School Scholarship Program, will benefit more than 100

students in 11 counties who are transitioning from primary to

secondary school having received their KCPE exams results.

 

 

“Every year, many students from underprivileged backgrounds fail

to join secondary schools for lack of financial resources. It is

projected that this year, the situation could even be worse thanks to

the COVID-19 pandemic that has ravaged our economy and seen

many families lose their income, and as such, will struggle to pay

school fees for their children,” said Family Bank CEO Rebecca

Mbithi.

 

 

She added that the disorientation of the education sector that

included a 9-month halt of learning in schools due to lockdowns has

also greatly impacted many students psychologically meaning the

students need more support than ever before.

 

 

According to data from the Ministry of Education, a total of 20,000

students comprising Grade 4, Class 8 and Form 4 students failed to

report back to school and a total of 2,543 KCPE candidates failed to

sit for the exam.

 

 

“As a foundation, through our education pillar, we will be able to

offer bright and needy students the opportunity to pursue and

successfully complete secondary education. This will provide relief

to parents struggling to meet tuition needs and greatly contributing

to the 100 per cent transition policy put in place by the Ministry of

Education,” she added.

 

 

The awarded scholarships will cater for both tuition and upkeep for

the beneficiaries in the 11 counties. The target counties

include Bungoma, Kisumu, Kiambu, Kajiado, Mombasa, Makueni,

Meru, Muranga, Nakuru, Nyeri and Uasin Gishu.

 

Interested candidates from these counties can apply by acquiring an

application form from the nearest Family Bank branch, Sub-County

branch or the Family Group Foundation website.

 

 

To date, the Foundation has invested over KES 150 million in the

education sector through scholarships and also supporting inclusive

education for children living with autism.

 

The Family Group Foundation was established in October 2012 by

an associated group of companies that include Family Bank Limited

(FBL), Kenya Orient Insurance Limited and Daykio Plantations

Limited (DPL). Over the last 25 years, FBL, KOIL and DPL have

benefited from the growth of the Kenyan economy in the finance,

insurance and real estate sectors. But this growth has exposed the

inequalities in our society leaving many families in the community

poor and without access to resources that they need to support

themselves. It became evident to the leadership of these institutions

that an urgent response to the challenges was required. In response,

FBL, KOIL and DPL each separately engaged in a number of CSR

activities and in time found that this strategy of small and scattered

interventions did not deliver the desired outcome. A review of this

approach led to a recognition of the advantages to be had in acting

corporately for the social good, and to the founding of The Family

Group Foundation. The foundation is focused on the expansion and

restructuring of selective CSR activities previously ran by its

founding sponsors, as well as the initiation of new interventions

that are more responsive to the challenges impacting Kenyan

families.