Scholar goes to the rescue of needy high school girls
Mentors with a sponsored student. Dr Rutennberg says that the problem of parents who are unable to cater for their children’s education is widespread. Mugambi Mutegi
Wanjiru Rutennberg’s frustration with an education system that denies qualified pupils opportunities in secondary schools compelled her to start a scholarship cum leadership incubator for girls.
Akili Dada, which loosely translates to brainy sister, seeks to empower young women from underprivileged backgrounds through quality high school education, personalised mentoring, and rigorous leadership training.
Dr Rutennberg, the founder and executive director, says the programme is crucial since a large number of students don’t have access to bursaries or scholarships offered by the government and private organisations.
“The fact that systems in Kenya need great improvement, coupled with my passion for women’s rights, drove me to start this institution six years ago hoping to be part of the same change I desired,” Dr Rutennberg said.
“Even with Akili Dada’s contribution, we still do not make such a substantial impact since the problem of parents who are unable to cater for their children’s education is widespread in our country.”
In addition to offering scholarships, Akili Dada organises mentoring conferences where students meet and mingle with business leaders from different industries.
These successful women leaders share career advice and personal stories on overcoming economic and socio-cultural barriers to become successful professionals while emphasising the importance of giving back to the community.
This year’s conference, the 5th in the series, was titled Community Service as a Form of Leadership, and included mentorship sessions from women professionals from Safaricom and Resolution Health, among others. For Dr Rutennberg, returns from her non-profit organisation are realised when its alumni attain impressive grades at secondary education, disclosing that only one of the 11 who have completed Form Four attained a B+ with the rest being “A” students.
Owing to high reliance on well-wishers and friends to support the kitty, Akili Dada restricts its philanthropic reach to three schools; Precious Blood Riruta, Kenya High School, and Loreto High School.
“On average, each student requires Sh300,000 to take her through high school. This is a lot of money and therefore the number of students we pick is dependent on the amount collected at the end of each year,” Dr Rutennberg said.
Where funds are limited, some needy students are enrolled but only receive mentorship support with no assistance going towards their tuition fees.
With time, they hope that more well-wishers will join in the campaign enabling them to cater for more girls in a wider variety of schools. The scholarship qualification criterion is quite telling about the kind of students the organisation sponsors.
Applicants must have good grades in school, be from needy families, and be actively engaged in community service.
Once every year, an interviewing panel visits the three schools and selects the next lot of beneficiaries. The organisation has 12 staff members, based both in Kenya and United States offices. Majority are volunteers.
So far, 10 girls have gone through the programme and are now enrolled in universities — both local and international. Currently, 34 high school girls are under sponsorship. The latest batch of eight students was picked last week. Other than the organisation paying school fees for the girls for the four years of study, they are also attached to mentors who guide and visit them during their period in school.
Appointed mentors
Appointed mentors also contribute to a common fund for the girls’ upkeep, the money is used to buy basic necessities.
Graphic designer Victoria Njuguna has been a mentor since the programme’s inception. “Other than having their school fees settled, such girls need a guiding hand that assures them that everything will be fine as well as handle their basic needs,” Mrs Njuguna said.
She supports a Form Three student at Precious Blood Riruta.
Setting guidelines
Even with the government paying Sh10,265 for each student in secondary school and setting guidelines to the effect that a student in a boarding school should pay Sh18,627 annually, many schools have doubled this figures citing the increased cost of running schools.
On average, provincial schools charge Sh40,000 per year while their national counterparts charge Sh60,000. The good performance registered by such schools has made them highly coveted and needy students who are picked to join them face the dilemma of being unable to raise fees. These problems force some of them to drop out and join less expensive schools.
Over the years various scholarship funds have come up to try and stem this growing problem.
They include Palmhouse Foundation, Compassion Beyond Boarders, Kenya Scholarship Fund, and Elimu Kenya Scholarship Fund.
