By Malachi Motano
The Family Group Foundation (FGF) has begun selection for the 2021 scholarship programme beneficiaries in eleven counties.
According to the Foundation Senior Programmes Manager Damaris Githinji, they have embarked on a programme that offers secondary school scholarships for top performing students hailing from poor backgrounds.
She stated that the programme was previously conducted internally, but they have decided to make it public in order to create awareness, with a view to expanding their base in offering more scholarships in the near future.
“The programme will offer a total of 110 scholarships from the selected counties to academically promising scholars from needy backgrounds who sat and excelled in the 2020 KCPE examinations,” said Githinji.
“What we are doing today is to shortlist students from poor backgrounds and vulnerable households, who scored 350 marks and above to help them further their education.
The process is conducted through a selected panel from various government stakeholders and has gone through several stages, including sensitizing the panel on the whole process and have code of conduct to protect the children they are dealing with.
Beneficiaries of the scholarship are selected by the Community Scholarship Selection Board (CSSB), which is made up of key leaders in the society and is chaired by the respective Family Bank Branch Manager.
“There are many needy and bright children who have attained the eligible marks and stand a chance of securing a scholarship for their secondary school education. Today we are happy to be in Uasin Gishu and this is our fast project here in this county,” she added.
The programme offers comprehensive support for the scholars through the provision of tuition fees, accommodation, books, uniform, shopping, pocket money and transport to and from school during their four years of secondary education.
Githinji noted that previously the Foundation used to select a few students in the 47 counties, but now they have concentrated in 11 counties and will least select 10 students in each county.
The benefitting counties include Uasin Gishu, Bungoma, Nakuru, Kisumu, Nyeri, Meru, Kiambu, Mrang’a, Makueni and Kajiado.
The local bank Branch Manager Robert Mung’a Kariuki said it was their responsibility to support communities within their localities and this will open up the visibility of the financial institution.
