United States Government Supports Orphans and Vulnerable Children through Scholarships
Girls all over the world face numerous challenges that impede their efforts to succeed in life. As we mark the International Day of the Girl, USAID/Kenya is proud to show how scholarships can help girls in Kenya break the cycle of poverty.
At age 13, Winnie Kimeu was orphaned. She survived under the care of friends and extended family in her village and was able to attend primary and secondary school. A girl in her position would be expected to marry early, but Winnie dreamed of going to university. A bright student, Winnie was among the highest ranked students in her district on the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education exam, qualifying her for a USAID scholarship for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC).
When Winnie was awarded the USAID scholarship her life took a different turn. She joined university to pursue her dream. “I am very lucky and thankful; I can now speak good English and am well educated thanks to the scholarship," she said. Like 818 other girls who benefited from the program, Winnie is able to determine her own future; she is empowered through education.
The OVC Scholarship & Leadership program is a public-private partnership between USAID, the Equity Group Foundation, UKaid and MasterCard Foundation. The program provides full scholarships that include tuition and accommodations to enable academically gifted but economically disadvantaged and vulnerable children to pursue secondary and tertiary education. The program works with 1,200 schools (secondary schools, colleges, and universities) in Kenya from all districts in the country.
A group of approximately 100 scholarship recipients, including Winnie, recently formed an organization that will turn the students from beneficiaries to benefactors. The group, named the PEPFAR Scholars Organization of Kenya, recently met at the Catholic University of Kenya in a suburb of Nairobi. They discussed their two-year strategic plan of giving back to society through mentorship, social and economic empowerment and volunteering in the communities burdened with high numbers of OVCs who have lost their parents to HIV/AIDS.
The scholars have named their organization after PEPFAR, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Through PEPFAR, USAID is able to invest in scholarship programs, like Winnie's, that ensure the children of AIDS victims get a chance to break the cycle of poverty, as well as in programs focused on HIV prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Through her efforts in PEPFAR Scholars Organization of Kenya, Winnie is providing a return on the investment that the American people made in her education. Now instead of becoming a burden on her community, Winnie will become a leader, contributing to Kenya's development.
View testimonies of girls who have benefited from the program here.