Safaricom has set aside Ksh. 40 million to support 100 students through secondary school at over 90 different learning institutions around the country, the telecommunications firm announced on Thursday.
The announcement tied in with the world marking its first ever International Day of Education and according to the telco giant the students were picked from the cohort of learners who had applied for the M-PESA Foundation Academy but were unable to secure a slot due to limited space.
“As part of our 18th anniversary celebrations we promised to support 100 children through secondary school. We completed the selection process in December and we are happy to see that all the students have now reported to their respective schools”, said Bob Collymore Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom.
“The students all come from needy backgrounds with two students (a boy and a girl) selected from each of the 47 counties with the remaining being bright students living with disabilities.”
According to Safaricom, the company will cover expenses such as tuition fees, uniforms and school shopping for the four years the students will need to finish secondary school learning.
Earlier this month, Safaricom launched the NdotoZetu initiative after a new year’s challenge to Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore by a local comedian to support the Divas Power programme. Mr. Collymore pledged to educate 18 girls from Divas Power and also invited other Kenyans to share their dreams and aspirations that they hope to achieve this year that will have a positive effect on their communities.
Since 2003, Safaricom through its two charitable arms; Safaricom and M-PESA Foundations, has impacted over 1.2 million learners in Primary, Secondary and vocational training institutions across the country. The support has been mainly through; increasing access to education opportunities for children with disabilities and those from nomadic pastoralist communities; providing access to ICT education for both teachers and students; and improving both teacher and student competencies in literacy and numeracy skills.
