3,153 Form 1 and 2 beneficiaries of Equity Bank’s Wings to Fly and Elimu Scholarship programmes have been taken through a mentorship programme to motivate and prepare them for their future successes.
The learners are drawn from Nairobi, Central, Eastern, North Eastern and Coast regions.
In the Annual Education and Leadership Congress, the 15th cohort of scholars underwent a week long intensive, inspiring and educative forum at Kenyatta University where they were engaged by role models in society such as successful professionals, government officials, entrepreneurs, and community leaders.
This year’s theme was ‘Educate, Empower, Lead: The Triad to Success’.
The programme has remarkably expanded to oversee 60,009 scholarships for the academically gifted but economically disadvantaged students, giving them a shot at rewriting their destiny.
According to Chief Guest Dr James Mwangi, Executive Chairman Equity Group Foundation, the programme has been possible through partnerships that have changed people’s lives.
He encouraged the scholars to be the agents of transforming their families.
“Each of you belong to individual families, and that is why we are interested in you as an individual because we want to make a difference in each and every family and village that you come from,” he said, calling on them to embrace humility so that they can be well grounded, and empathetic so that they can also help others.
He said education goes beyond textbooks and classrooms, describing it as a journey that opens doors, broadens horizons and empowers individuals to navigate the complexities of the world confidently.
“Education allows us to acquire the capability to lead others and it helps us to unlock our potential but it needs to be enhanced with values so that our character formation and our personality match our capabilities,” he said.
James Kungu, Kenyatta University Deputy Vice Chancellor, said the programme has helped many who are economically disadvantaged to achieve what they want to be in life.
Scholars completing four years of secondary education can seamlessly transition into the Equity Leaders Program (ELP), empowering them with access to local and global universities while nurturing leadership skills.
It has facilitated university entry for 18,735 scholars, with 8,337 benefitting from paid internships at Equity Bank. 891 ELP scholars secured fully-funded scholarships at 209 global universities across 56 countries, including Ivy League Institutions like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia and Cornell.
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