Education & Dignity for 400 Western Kenya Youths

GlobalGiving Monthly Update – March 2026
Project: Increase Access to Education and Dignity
Location: Busia County, Western Kenya

In March 2026, Undugu Empowerment Programs focused on monitoring and evaluation (M&E) to ensure students supported through our education and dignity project remain enrolled, progressing academically, and benefiting from dignity support services.

This monitoring period coincided with the school half-term break, providing an opportunity for field visits, beneficiary follow-ups, and engagement with schools and guardians.

Key Activities Conducted

• Conducted 22 student monitoring visits across supported schools to track attendance, academic progress, and wellbeing.
• Engaged teachers and 6 schools administrators to review the performance and retention of students supported through the Undugu Higher Education Fund (UHEF).
• Held guardian check-ins to understand household challenges affecting students’ ability to remain in school.
• Followed up with over 35 girls who received menstrual dignity kits to assess usage and impact on school attendance.
• Updated beneficiary records through the UHEF Scholar Code tracking system to strengthen accountability and program oversight.

During the half-term break, students also attended one-on-one sessions with the project leaders at the Undugu center. These individual meetings provided a safe space for students to discuss academic progress, personal challenges, career goals, and support needs. The sessions helped strengthen mentorship relationships and allowed the program team to identify students who may require additional academic or psychosocial support.

Early findings from the monitoring visits indicate strong retention among supported students, with teachers reporting improved attendance among girls receiving menstrual dignity support.

Next Steps

Insights from this monitoring period will guide upcoming mentorship activities, targeted student support, and ongoing program improvements under the Education and Dignity Project.

Through continuous monitoring and community engagement, we remain committed to ensuring that vulnerable youth—especially girls and teen mothers—can stay in school, learn with dignity, and build pathways to opportunity.

Thank you for supporting our project in rural Busia County, Kenya

Links:

• Increasing Access to rural Youth Education and Dignity in Busia