Equity gifts students Sh2bn to study abroad

Equity Bank #ticker:EQTY has offered university scholarships worth Sh2 billion to 92 student set for admission in top foreign universities like Harvard.

This year’s admission is the largest under the Equity Leadership Program (ELP), with 19 of the scholars being accepted to Ivy League schools including Harvard, Yale and Princeton universities.

The scholars who comprise top performers in the 2019 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) will also receive Sh16 million stipend to facilitate their preparation and travel to their host countries.

“We have equipped our ELP scholars with the knowledge and skills to navigate new cultures and to thrive in any environment they are placed in,” said Equity Group Foundation (EGF) executive chairman James Mwangi.

The 43 universities admitting the ELP scholars are spread across five continents in different countries including the United States, Canada, Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Costa Rica, the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Mauritius, Rwanda and South Africa.

The total number of scholars who have so far gained admission to global universities under the Equity Leaders Program is 633.

Of the 19 scholars admitted to Ivy League Universities in the United States, four have been accepted to Harvard, three to Pennsylvania and Princeton respectively, two each to Yale, Dartmouth Columbia, Brown and one to Cornell.

“We challenge them to go and conquer the world by excelling in their academics and taking up key leadership roles and contributing to changing narratives about Africa as well as transforming of lives,” Said Dr Mwangi.

ELP provides a paid internship to top performing secondary school scholars including Wings to Fly alumni beneficiaries.

The program aims to educate and provide mentorship and exposure to Kenyan youth, create a generation of value-based leaders, who bring about positive change in the community by driving sustainable economic growth and social progress in Kenya and globally.