Bringing hope to one of Africa’s largest slums
WOMEN FOR WOMEN IN AFRICA
Child Endowment Education Program:
Child education sponsorship is an effective and fulfilling way to help give a child from the Kibera slum in Nairobi,
Kenya, the chance of a brighter future.
The aim of the work is to help to ensure each child in our reach enjoys good health; is educated for life; is cared for,
protected, and participating in decisions that affect their lives; and experiences the emergence of hope in their
lives.
The community of Kibera slum faces specific challenges. Extreme poverty is the predominate feature throughout
the estimated 1,000,000+ people living in Kibera. Violence, gangs, infectious diseases, HIV/AIDs and drugs are all
too frequent. It is unsafe at night to venture outside. Girls are often pregnant at 13-14 years in Kibera.
Through partnerships with ‘Wanawake kwa Wanawake’ (WkW) in Nairobi, local families, community groups, faithbased organisations and government, WFWIA builds trusting relationships to help identify the community’s assets and needs, along with the underlying causes of children’s poverty and vulnerability.
Experience has taught us that the best way to change a child’s life is to provide an education, provide adequate
food intake, provide safety for the child and provide care for their health needs. WFWIA try to place the children in
boarding schools where they are safe from the dangers found daily in Kibera. These schools also provide real
accommodation (no shared beds, couches or floors with other family members in 10ft x 10 ft shacks) and regular
meals for the children which they would otherwise not have at home.
The Kenyan Education system:
Kenyan children have an option to attend a Nursery year, a Pre-school year, 8 years of primary school and then 4
years of secondary school. The 8+4 years of primary and secondary is equivalent to the Australian 6+6 year systems
(ie, year 1-12).
Ideally, child sponsorship is a long-term commitment. But how long child sponsorship lasts will be different for
each sponsor. Some sponsors join us at the beginning of their sponsored child’s education and others join us
towards the end. Our aim is to educate children to at least the end of secondary school education with the
opportunity to then continue further.
Children begin a nursery/pre-school program for roughly two or three years, around the age of three years old,
before commencing Grade 1 (Class 1 or Year 1) at 6 years of age.
Primary school education in Kenya is supposedly free; however, many parents still cannot afford to pay for school
uniforms, textbooks, transport, meals and supplies, without which students cannot attend school. These fees are
especially difficult for marginalized children such as females, orphans, and the financially underprivileged. The
students must pass their exams at the end of Grade 8, (KCPE – Kenyan Certificate of Primary Education)
Secondary school in Kenya has four levels, Forms 1 – 4 and is completed only when students finish their KCSE
(Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education) examinations. Again, student grades play a key role in determining
whether or not students are able to attend university and post-secondary education.
Despite advancements in accessing primary education, access to secondary education has remained quite low in
comparison. There are a number of reasons that account for this. For instance, secondary schools still require
tuition payments and have much higher extra-curricular fees. Uniforms, books, bedding and food costs are extra.
Distance also plays a major role for some in accessing education. There are many fewer numbers of secondary
schools compared to primary schools.
WFWIA also has the Chappell Informal School, which is run at the WkW Community Centre in Kibera. This is a
place where children, newly accepted on to our program after their primary schooling but before secondary school,
Bringing hope to one of Africa’s largest slums
Women for Women in Africa Foundation Ltd
can go and receive some semi-formal education by teachers. These children spend up to a year at the Chappell
Informal School while waiting for a sponsor to send them to secondary school the following year but still able to
maintain a learning mentality. The Informal school keeps the children out of the trouble and dangers of Kibera if
they were at home during the day.
Tertiary or post-secondary education may consist of vocational training courses, certificate courses, diploma
courses and degree courses. Each is of differing lengths and costs. Competition for places is fierce according to
marks obtained in KCSE exams, due to very few available institutions.
How to make Payments:
Sponsors can pay monthly by instalments or annually (our preference).
Payments can be made by:
- Direct credit: Westpac Bank: BSB: 033-059, A/C: 660872; or
- Cheque: Women for Women in Africa, PO Box 2184, Wattletree Rd PO, VIC 3145; or
- Online: http://www.womenforwomeninafrica.org.au/donation/ ;or
- Credit card by phone: 0409 614 630 or 0438 747 101.
We encourage automatic deductions from a bank account or credit card because this is the easiest and most
reliable payment method.
We send invoices immediately a sponsor starts their involvement and that initial payment is for the current school
year. Depending on the month when sponsorship starts, we may charge a pro-rata fee rather than a full fee.
Presently, we send on-going invoices to our sponsors each November for payment prior to the next school year.
Due to rapidly rising school fee increases in Kenya, the rate for primary, informal school and secondary students is
$1,550 / year for a calendar school year.
Tertiary education is generally much more and is dependent on the course chosen by the student and further
details can be given dependent upon the student involved.
You can help WFWIA reduce administration work and costs by selecting an automatic payment method and/or a
less frequent payment method.
Receipts are issued with payments. Sponsorship payments and general donations are 100% tax deductible.
Your Child:
We encourage you to connect with your sponsored child. Sponsored children love to receive emails, letters and
cards from their sponsors and it can be a great source of encouragement for them to know that someone far away
cares about them and their future.
Contact us:
Please feel free to contact us about the Sponsorship Program anytime by email to
admin@womenforwomeninafrica.org.au or phone to 0417373466
NB: WFWIA is committed to using all donations both wisely and effectively. All money received for Child
Endowment Sponsorship is sent to our Kenyan partner at the WkW Community Centre in Kibera for the
education of the students.
