Education has often been described as the greatest equalizer due to the fact that it affords everyone rich or poor with the ability to make it in life. However, it can also be an expensive affair which has seen many bright children who come from humble backgrounds drop out of school. It was as a response to this that NCBA Bank started a scholarship program in a bid to change the narrative.
Started in 2007, the scholarship program is in line with NCBA’s ‘Change the Story’ sustainability program. Over the years, the bank has partnered with various organizations as it seeks to ensure that they can be able to impact as many vulnerable children as possible.
The scholarships are targeted towards high-performing yet financially disadvantaged students. They cover, tuition fees, school supplies and uniforms, mentorship and life skills training and also give access to psychosocial support.
This year, NCBA has set aside Ksh. 12 Million that is meant to benefit 100 students. This amount will be distributed among the various partners who include SOS Children’s Villages Kenya, Dr Choksey Albinism Foundation, M-Pesa Foundation, Edumed Trust, Daraja Kenya Initiative and Palmhouse Foundation.
The children being sponsored this year include 55 students at Dr Choksey Albinism Foundation, 9 under SOS Children’s Villages Kenya. 2 under M-Pesa Foundation, 16 under Edumed Trust, 2 under Daraja Kenya Initiatives and 68 under the Palmhouse Foundation.
This year, two new foundations that is Kenya Scholar Access Program (KENSAP) and WEDCO have been added to the list of partners by NCBA.
Under the partnership with KENSAP, 15 top students from underprivileged backgrounds get access to Ivy league colleges, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford among others. While WEDCO will support 25 young Kenyans from informal settlements.
One of the beneficiaries of the NCBA Scholarships is Lewis Nganga a Form Four student at Aquinas High School. Despite having passed well in his KCPE, Lewis’s parents did not have the finances to enable him to progress with his education. However, inspite of this he didn’t give up on his dream of joining high school. This saw him report to school despite the fact that he didn’t have adequate fees.
As luck would have it, he was introduced to the Edumed Trust one of the NCBA partners. He was picked as one of the beneficiaries of the scholarship and he is well on is way to achieving his dreams.
Sharleen Kendi a form three student at Kangaru Girls High School is also another beneficiary of the NCBA scholarships under Edumed Trust. Other than the scholarship, Sharleen is also able to access mentorship from Edumed which ensures that she is better prepared for life after school.
In as much as NCBA is doing their best to make a difference in the lives of these vulnerable students. It is but a drop in the oceans compared to the number of people who are in need of scholarships. It is my hope that other corporates will join them in making a difference in the lives of the needy students.