The fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic has been heaviest in poor areas and particularly on girls. Kenya Keys is responding by providing tuition for 5 additional high-performing students who would otherwise be forced to drop out of high school, and by establishing Hope Springs, a program aimed at empowering 240 high-risk girls to stay in school, find help in potentially abusive situations, and develop entrepreneurial skills to create income even under difficult circumstances.
Covid-19 has created an economic crisis in Kenya, and put girls, in particular, at higher risk of exploitation, early marriage, and dropping out of school. Kenya Keys has identified 5 high-performing students who are at immediate risk of dropping out due to lack of fees. This project will fund one year of tuition for these students and help fund the Hope Springs initiative to address girls' vulnerabilities and keep them in school.
Kenya Keys will pay tuition for an additional 3 high school students and 2 college students, 3 of whom are girls and 2 of whom are boys. The Hope Springs initiative - designed and implemented by local women who are recent college graduates sponsored by Kenya Keys - empowers girls to speak up and find help in abusive situations, provides incentives to stay in school and avoid early marriages, and offers entrepreneurial training to empower them as contributors to their families and communities.
Education empowers students to secure higher income jobs, protect themselves and their families, and raise educational expectations in their villages. For girls, education is a powerful tool to break the cycle of poverty and provide a better life for themselves and future generations.
