Training Health Workers in Kenya Saves Lives

In a small, three-bed ward at the Tenwek Mission hospital’s Maternity wing, Dominic moves about, assisting mothers and their newborn babies. He loves his work and has wanted to be a health worker since he was a child. But for this third year nursing student, the journey has not been smooth. He has had to miss classes on many occasions and pick up various jobs in order to pay tuition.

Kenya is in dire need of qualified health workers with only 15 health workers to every 10,000 people according to World Health Organization. And to make matters worse, many of Kenya’s health professional students are unable to pay their annual tuition fees—approximately 70,000 Kenyan Shillings ($767) for most public, middle-level colleges that offer certificate and diploma programs.  This leads to a high drop-out rate for students like Dominic, despite their motivation and passion for their careers.

Dominic is among 2050 students across Kenya whom Afya Elimu Fund (AEF) has provided hope and a stable source of funding for their training. To these students, donations from donors make the difference between saving lives and simply trying to make ends meet. For the 2000 students, AEF is a stress-free source of tuition as no interest is charged during their time in school.

What makes the AEF fund sustainable - and your donation go further - is that on completion of studies, students are given a one year grace period before commencement of repayment of loans at an interest rate of 4%. These repayments are reinvested back in to the fund as a resource for future students.  The fund seeks to ensure that all aspiring health workers, like Dominic, realize their dreams, improve the quality of health care and equitable distribution of health care workers across the country thus providing for the future health of all Kenya citizens.

We thank you for your continued support of the Afya Elimu Fund and students like Dominic!