Kef Students

The common thread binding all KEF students is one of extreme poverty and a deep thirst for knowledge. In some cases the poverty results from being orphaned by AIDS. There are 1.9 million AIDS orphans in Kenya alone. But poverty in Kenya may also result from unemployment, physical disability and even culture. For example, the burning desire to remain in school has lead some female KEF students to run away from their families in order to avoid being married off at the age of 13! Without the help of the KEF and concerned sponsors like you, these girls would remain isolated from the world, never knowing their true potential and never realizing their inner most dreams.

The KEF is driven by the idea that education is for everyone. We therefore have no academic standards that our students much reach in order to become a KEF kid. Poverty and the inability to pay school fees are the only criteria for acceptance into our program. To remain enrolled, however, all KEF students are required to maintain good grades. Consultations with the teachers, as well as periodic performance reviews allow us to monitor each student’s progress and provide extra help to those who need it.

KEF students come to us on a referral basis. We use Peace Corps volunteers, school principals, churches and NGO’s to help us identify needy students in their villages. These “objective” sources help us put each child’s case in context and preserve the integrity of the program by avoiding nepotism, tribalism and conflict of interest.

In the end, the idea is that Kenya already has the tools it needs to develop along a path it chooses for itself. The KEF is determined to provide Kenyans access to those tools through education.