Update On Our Students

Photo of Metrine Mayende (Community Health Medical Officer - CES Graduate - 2008)

The CES Canada 2022 budget includes support for 30 students, 13 at five Boarding schools students and 17at seven Day schools. Students at our boarding school are all girls – because as pointed out in an earlier issue of Harambee Report, some girls are in situations where boarding school is the safest environment for them. Students at our boarding school are all girls, because in many cases it is thee safest environment for them.

 Our post-secondary scholarship program includes five CES Alumni in the Leadership Program, two candidates for a Master’s degree program, as well as partial scholarships for ninety (90) undergraduates. The CES Kenya Internship program this year has three students. They earned top grades in the recent KCSE national exams, and as a result have been invited to act as mentors and teacher assistants for the next six months before beginning their own university studies. 

 As in much of the world, COVID played havoc with our students’ lives – disrupting schedule, interrupting learning, and shutting schools for months at a time. Online learning is difficult to impossible for students who lack computers, Internet access, electricity or the ability to pay for online lessons. A special fund was created in 2020, and it continues to support all our students who continue to face the challenge of Covid19.

 Secondary students receive hygiene kits as well as a treated anti-malaria mosquito net. Once their school fees are paid, they are not forgotten. School visitations are coordinated by the CES Kenya team. These include student conferencing and meetings with the principal and school counsellor to ensure our students are cared for.

 All twenty-three CES-sponsored secondary students graduated this year, earning the KCSE. This is a remarkable achievement. Of these, 18 students scored the minimum C+ grade to qualify for university entry. Three of these students received a mandatory B+ grade, which allows them to participate in the 2022 mentorship program.

We are proud of all our students. Each has faced significant challenges in their education careers. Achieving so well, they’re building character and skills that will help them in their lives ahead.