By Harry Gitonga
Some 1,000 learners who sat their KCPE exam last year and scored over 350 marks have been awarded scholarships.
The needy students from across the country will receive support from Wings to Fly after going through a competitive selection process that included interviews and home visits.
Charles Otieno from Kabong’o village, Nyakach in Kisumu County, is among thousands of students who went through the selection process. Otieno scored 392 in the KCPE exams and was the top candidate at Agai Primary School.
“If I get the Wings to Fly scholarship, I will put God first, be disciplined and work hard in my studies. I know one day I will be a pilot,” said Otieno, a partial orphan and third born in a family of seven children, during his home visit.
Two-roomed mud house
Otieno lost his mother a few years ago and lives with his father in a two-roomed mud house with his other six siblings.
The Wings to Fly program is funded by Equity Group Foundation and Equity Bank, and gets additional financing from the German Development Bank (KfW), Mastercard Foundation, USAID, UKAid, private institutions and individuals. Since 2010, the program has grown to offer 20,009 scholarships.
Jenifer Mudeizi, a 16-year-old orphan, had a compelling story and also got an opportunity to be interviewed by the selection panel.
She resides in Nairobi’s Lenana Kijiji slums under the care of her grandmother, Janet Kadenyi who lives with a disability.
Despite daily challenges like teenage pregnancies, crime and drug abuse that saw her peers drop out of school, she scored 365 marks at St Joseph of Tarbes Primary School.
Join hands and help educate the needy
“I would have performed better were it not for the circumstances at home. I want to get out of here and help my family out,” she said, crediting her success to the commitment of her grandmother, who does odd jobs to fend for her.
Various leaders, including Dagoretti North MP Beatrice Elachi, have lauded the Wings to Fly Scholarship program, calling upon other organizations and foundations to join hands and help educate the needy.
“I have noted that the process is very fair and transparent. The selection board listens to each story and asks questions. As a result, the Wings to Fly scholarship has demonstrated tangible results in positively changing communities by empowering children through education,” said Elachi, who attended one of the interview sessions in Westlands Constituency.
Growing number of students
Commenting on the ongoing selection exercise, Dr James Mwangi, Equity Group Foundation Executive Chairman said, “the successful candidates from this cohort will not only add to the growing number of students who have been supported by the Equity Group Foundation, but will also play a vital role in transforming their communities”.
Dr. Mwangi emphasized the need for scholars to receive guidance and counselling during the four years of their high school.
“Wings to Fly offers a rigorous mentorship program that involves scholar congresses where they get to interact with industry captains and school holiday programs conducted by Equity branch staff and Equity Group Foundation,” he said.
Successful and transformational
With a 97% secondary school completion rate and 82% qualification for transition to university rate, the Wings to Fly Program has been very successful and transformational.
The scholarship selection process prioritizes full and partial orphans with no relative, guardian, or sponsor to provide for their secondary education. Also considered are children whose parents are physically or mentally challenged and children whose parents are living with HIV/AIDS or other chronic debilitating illnesses.
Children from families affected by natural disasters such as flooding, drought, famine or civil conflict, those who have suffered neglect and/or abandonment and children with parents living in extreme poverty are also prime candidates for the program.
In the next few days, the 2023 Wings to Fly cohort will attend a centralized induction and get commissioned before joining high school at the end of this month.