To provide secondary education scholarships and leadership development to 5,600 students in Kenya, the MasterCard Foundation and the Equity Group Foundation announced a $50 million partnership, called Wings to Fly.
The scholarships will offer tuition, books, uniforms and stipends to students who show academic promise but are disadvantaged economically, helping them to complete their secondary education. Kenyan president Mwai Kibaki, president and CEO of the MasterCard Foundation, Reeta Roy and CEO of Equity Bank James Mwangi started the program with support from UKaid.
"The Wings to Fly program is helping talented young leaders achieve their potential
to change Kenya's future," said Mwangi.
"The leadership training and mentorship will build students' self-confidence, community involvement and new skills that will propel them well beyond their secondary school education," he added.
Kenya has instituted a free education policy, increasing its primary school enrollment from 5.8 million to 8.6 million between 2003 and 2008. Wings to Fly is being launched when the first class of students who began primary school in 2003 are beginning secondary school.
Due to the hefty cost of secondary education, only 64 percent of primary students enter secondary school and even less attend graduate school. Many low-income families need children to stay home to support their families, also affecting this figure.
According to the World Bank, leaving school early has a significant impact on finances. Every year of secondary school a girl attends beyond the average translates into a 10 to 20 percent increase in wages in the future.
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