The Wings to Fly scholarship programme has been urged to increase the number of beneficiaries in Northeastern.
Garissa Catholic Diocese director Sister Everline Ingoshe on Tuesday in Garissa town said many needy and eligible students risk missing out on education for lack of sponsorship.
Ingoshe said only eight out of 50 eligible candidates were picked for the Wings to Fly scholarship. She is a member of the panel that picks eligible students.
“We received 200 applications, and we selected 50 for the final interview of which we picked four girls and four boys. The 42 we left out were all eligible and the government and donors must find ways and means to enable them to pursue their education,” Ingoshe said.
“I want to appeal to individuals, organisations and well-wishers to come together and assist students from poor backgrounds to pursue their dreams,” she said.
Garissa branch Equity manager Stephen Karumba, who spoke after meeting the students, their parents and guardians, said the selection exercise was rigorous and the panel ensured only deserving students were picked.
The students picked are those whose parents or guardians live in extreme poverty, those in informal settlements and orphans.
“We were also giving priority to those children whose parents have terminal illnesses such as cancer or HIV-Aids,” he added.
Sister Ingoshe said the selection panel was free and fair because minority groups were also prioritised.
“Not many families can afford the fees for secondary schools. The scholarships will go a long way in helping vulnerable families cater for their children’s school fees and other essentials,” she said.
Wings to Fly caters for the uniforms, shopping, transport to and from school, pocket money, boarding and school fees for the four-year secondary education. Parents and guardians will only provide moral support for the children.
Hassan Mohamed, 70, a father of one of the beneficiaries Khadija Abdi who scored 385 marks in KCPE exam thanked the sponsors for coming on board. He said his daughter dreams of becoming a doctor.
“I have been a pastoralist all my years and that was my only source of income. Unfortunately, I have lost all my goats and sheep to drought and diseases. The few animals that remained were swept away by the recent floods. I was left destitute,” said the father of eight.
The young scholars will attend a two-week seminar in Nairobi to prepare them for the change of environment, as well as how to cope with secondary school education.
