Sponsor and Support Kenyan Students

It’s been years since Ananias’ parents died. He was in school then, the second of five children. Life was not easy – their home village of Matope is located in a drought-prone and impoverished area of Kenya where life requires a great deal of physical work – but they had each other, and that provided a tenuous sort of security.

After the funerals, a new reality set in as Ananias and his siblings adjusted to being orphans. They moved in with their maternal grandmother and survived off the assistance of uncles. Ananias dropped out of school after 8th grade, unable to afford the high school tuition that the government does not cover. He moved to the village of Taru to live with an uncle and look for manual work, hoping to send a few shillings back to his younger siblings.

In Taru, Ananias found other young adults, outcasts from high school for lack of fees but eager for the benefits of education. He also found an instructor teaching the Kenyan equivalent of a GED course. These non-traditional students sat in a hot, tin-roofed shed, learning chemistry, English, math, biology, history, and Swahili for five hours at a time, often with infants or toddlers playing near their young mothers. Class did not include a meal break, and no one had food to eat anyway, but students returned day after day, week after week. Ananias faithfully attended these classes for two years before he felt prepared to take the national high school competency exam.

Weeks later, the test results arrived. Ananias had done well enough to qualify for a vocational program at a local trade school. He applied and was accepted to Kinango Technical and Vocational Training College to pursue a course in electrical installation. But, once again, money was a problem. How could he afford to pay for school when he was barely making ends meet and trying to help pay his younger siblings’ school fees, too?

But something was in the works. One day during class, visitors arrived. Local staff members from Kenya Keys and their guests from the United States had been impressed with the group’s dedication and willingness to sacrifice for education. Soon, study books materialized, lunches appeared, and suddenly the sole teacher was joined by a team of three instructors. The group was able to move from the dirt floor of the hut to a location much more conducive to learning, and offers were made to help transport and house the students taking the two-week test in a distant town.

What’s more, Ananias was accepted as the first adult education student to be sponsored by Kenya Keys. After so much heartache and so many opportunities closed to him, Ananias will be able to attend college and have the opportunity to create a better life for himself and his family. His path required remarkable resilience and persistence, supported by hundreds of generous donors and supporters who make Kenya Keys a force for good in rural Kenya.

Through the generous donations of those U.S. guests and others, Kenya Keys provides four teachers for the Taru adult education group, along with a space to study, support with meals, study books, and supplies. When the national test is administered, Kenya Keys also covers test fees, transportation, food, and lodging during the two-week test for the group. It couldn’t happen without the support of caring people like you! Thank you for joining us to make a difference for Ananias, the adult education group, and hundreds of others. 

Links:

• Read how Kenya Keys helps students in need