OLIVESEED SCHOLARSHIPS

On a field adventure to the National Museum of Kenya

In the area of the Maasai Mara where we work, fewer than 15% of children enroll in secondary school, and the number is even lower for girls. One of the main reasons is that their families cannot afford the school fees. For girls, dropping out of school at this age can mean early forced marriage and FGM. And yet, young people here want so much to be in school and to excel just like their counterparts in more privileged areas.

We sponsor highly motivated students who have been accepted at boarding high schools but would never be able to attend without financial help. The students are supported all the way through their 4 years of secondary school. In 2023-24, we're also sponsoring a young conservationist studying safari guiding at the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya college program. Our model is to pair each student with a sponsor for a consistent relationship with an adult throughout their journey. All of these young people are from under-privileged rural families in the Mara.

EDUCATION DOESN'T END AT THE CLASSROOM WALLS!

As part of our program, we take the scholarship recipients on a field adventure to another part of Kenya during the school break in December and on a safari in the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Imagine how eye-opening these experiences can be for young people who have never had opportunities like this!

Our December 2023 field trip was to Nairobi, where the students visited the National Museum of Kenya, the National Parliament and Supreme Court, the Giraffe Center, and the Safari Walk at Nairobi National Park — and they stood on top of the tallest building in town with a 360° view. Most of these students had never been outside their rural area, much less to a big city.