When I stumbled on a documentary “A Small Act” it inspired me to raise money to sponsor bright but needy students through High School.
Kenya has a two-tiered High School system. Government sponsored High Schools have minimum standards and costs whereas Boarding High Schools have higher standards and costs about $1000 a year. This is far more than most Kenyan families can afford. Most students who qualify for University come from Boarding High School.
Patrick Kimani, one of the sponsored students in the “A Small Act” documentary says: “It made me think of life as a different thing. I stopped thinking about poverty and started thinking of HOPE. I didn’t know where I would be if didn’t get a scholarship to High School. If I would describe a scholarship to any kid in Kenya, I wouldn’t really call it Scholarship, I would call it HOPE. because it is HOPE that you give to that kid and to his family. And the HOPE trickles down from the family and outside to the society.
By getting the opportunity to go to High School, I’ve learned to DREAM.”
The article: “Combating global poverty with education” explains how education truly is a life-line out of poverty. Best quotes:
Education is at the core of progress in all fields in the world. Its role in eradicating poverty through equitable distribution of income and achieving progress and prosperity can hardly be over-emphasized.
Education provides skills that boost employment opportunities and incomes of people while it helps protect people from socio-economic vulnerabilities.