Educate Maasai kids: full high school scholarships

Africa SOMA is proud to announce our 2013 Scholarship Award Winners!  We are excited to award full four year high school scholarships to the two top scoring boys and girls in the Elangata Wuas District. The 2013 top male students are Olubi (Scarlet) from the KMQ Primary School  and Leken (Gideon) from Elangata Wuas Primary. Tumanka (Emily) from Indupa Primary and Oseur (Damaris) from Elangata Wuas Primary School are the top two 2013 two female students awarded with Africa SOMA’s scholarship.  Each of these students studied very hard in order to be the leading students in the district. With these scholarships Leken, Olubi, Tumanka and Oseur will be able to choose which high school they will attend for the next four years. In a region struggling with drought and unpredictable rainfall patterns education allows youth a greater range of options for their livelihoods. While many of our previous scholarship students continue to raise livestock they have diversified this traditional income source with a wide variety of other career pursuits.

On February 28^th Africa SOMA held a comedy fundraiser at Montreal’s Comedy Nest and raised $850.00 towards the cost of supporting our 2013 Scholarship winners over their four year high school career. We encourage you to tell your friends and family about our cause and help us move closer to our goal of fully funding these students.

Africa SOMA believes increased access to education is key for the long term economic, cultural and environmental sustainability of the Maasai living in the Elangata Wuas region. Thank you for joining us in our work towards this cause. 

While Africa SOMA fundraises to provide high school scholarships for the 2013 primary graduates of Elangata Wuas Kenya, we thought we’d take the time to check in and provide updates on a few of our previous scholarship winners.

Matampash, one of our 2005 scholarship recipients graduated in 2009 and is currently attending Moi University, studying Analytical Chemistry and Computing. Without Africa SOMA’s scholarship he doubts he would have been able to attend secondary school as finances were tight. “I worked hard” he says of his time at high school, where he participated in many math contests. It was during his high school education that he realized his passion for science “I was good in Chemistry at my school and it was my best subject”. But Matampash isn’t one to only reminisce about the past; “I would like to do a Masters and a PhD if possible. I would like to be someone in the community”.

Gladys, a 2009 scholarship recipient will be graduating this year. “The scholarship helped me to motivate my education” Gladys says. And her education hasn’t only motivated her; “Most girls in the community don’t go to secondary school because they drop [out] in primary. They see me as an important person who can help them... I’ll be a role model to their children by having got an education, so that will motivate many girls to work hard in their education and also try their best to get the scholarship.” And she’s not only planning to be a role model in her community – she plans to become a doctor, a doctor that remains invested in pastoralism. “It [pastoralism] will help me because if I need something, I’ll sell my cattle. I want to work and continue with pastoralism.”

Eunice, a 2009 scholarship winner is currently in accounting college and is hoping to find a job near Elangata Wuas when she graduates. “Without the scholarship I would not have been able to afford high school” she says. Monica, another 2009 recipient, agrees “When I finished my primary education there was much drought, so my parents were not able to pay for me to go to secondary school. When I got my scholarship I was able to go”.

School has also provided the students, who grew up in predominately Maasai community, the opportunity to integrate with other students. “I like this.” says Monica “I can learn about their culture, how they live at home and perform their duties. I also share things about Maasai culture.”  Gladys agrees “Now I know how to interact with them (Muslim students). Socially, I like it.”

While all our scholarship winners had much to say about their educational experiences, Gladys eloquent statement sums up why Africa SOMA continues to provide scholarships year after year: “Education is empowerment”