BIC, Enactus partner to foster university education in Kenya

BIC East Africa and the BIC Corporate Foundation have signed a partnership with Enactus Kenya to launch a yearly competition, dubbed the BIC Education Challenge, which invites university students to develop projects that address education problems in their community. 

The competition, the first of its kind in Kenya, will focus on providing solutions for pressing education related matters in the country such as dropping out of school, endorsing girls and women’s education access and including disadvantaged children into Kenya’s education process.

According to Bic East Africa Marketing Manager Paloma Lengema, the initiative will greatly boost the country’s university education system.

 “BIC believes that education plays a critical role in promoting sustainable development and positively transforming communities. Working alongside our BIC Corporate Foundation, we are always looking for partners that share our passion for improving education and driving impactful change. We are proud to partner with Enactus Kenya on the BIC Education Challenge, an initiative that will help improve access to education and foster better learning conditions by promoting social entrepreneurship and innovation in education,” Ms. Lengema said in an official statement.

The BIC Education Challenge initially launched in late 2019 with multiple submissions from university students from all over the country. After a thorough evaluation process, five teams from Moi West, Jaramogi Oginda Odinga, Moi, Multimedia and Egerton Universities were shortlisted and invited to pitch their respective projects at Bic East Africa Headquarters on February 7, 2020. Only three finalists will be selected from the shortlist with the teams being evaluated on the projects’ eligibility, market, user needs and concept. 

The three finalists will receive grants of $1,000USD, $600USD, and $400USD respectively, which will be used to support the development of their projects. The winning team will also receive monthly mentorship supported by the BIC East Africa team to prepare them for the 18th Enactus National Competition taking place in June 2020. The winners will then represent Kenya at the Enactus World Cup later in the year.

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