24 Homa Bay students get Equity's Wings To Fly scholarship

Twenty-four students have benefited from Equity Bank's Wings to Fly Scholarship programme in Homa Bay County.

The group was selected from a list of more than 1000 applicants who sent requests to the bank to be considered for the scholarship.

Beneficiaries are students who sat for their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam last year and got 350 marks and above.

Some of them were on the verge of suspending their education due to the inability of their parents to pay their school fees.

Equity Bank Homa Bay Branch manager Barnabas Onyango said the exercise is part of the bank's corporate social responsibility.

“The scholarship programme is also one way of building and strengthening friendship between the bank and the community. This is a mutual benefit,” Onyango said.

Speaking during the flagging off of the students at the bank compound in Homa Bay town on Thursday, Onyango said the mentorship programme is going to be undertaken at Pangani Girls High School in Nairobi.

He was joined by Homa Bay County Education Director Eunice Khaemba and Homa Bay Sub County Kenya Secondary School Heads Association chairperson Jenipher Otollo 

Onyango said Equity Bank will support the students throughout their secondary education.

“Support includes shopping, transport and other requirements needed to make them have a successful education,” he said.

After Form Four, the beneficiaries get an opportunity to work at Equity Bank.

Onyango said some acquire knowledge of accounting and can explore training in banking and finance.

“Others explore other courses both at local and international universities," he said.

Otollo who also chairs the scholarship committee at Equity Bank said the selection of beneficiaries involved a lot of activities including visiting the homes of the applicants and interviewing them.

After the applications were received, the committee shortlisted students based on degree of vulnerability.

The committee also made physical visits to the homes where the students live.

Otollo said they were identifying students from certain areas.

“The selection process was rigorous which included visiting the students’ homes. Those who were picked deserve it because they also went through an oral interview before the final list was made,” Otollo said.

Khaemba called on other corporate organisations to support students from vulnerable backgrounds.

She said a lot of students risk dropping out of school due to poverty.

"It is true that a lot of applicants failed to get a chance to get support at Equity Bank. But they can equally benefit from other organisations,” Khaemba said.

The director called on beneficiaries to work hard at their respective schools and take advantage of the scholarship to uplift their living standards and families.

“Such opportunities come once and they should be utilized prudently,” she added.