The KCB Foundation has handed over laptop computers to 240 university students from the 2022 KCSE cohort under its KCB Scholars program.
This initiative aims to support their higher education studies, enhance their digital literacy skills, and ultimately, empower them to thrive in the modern job market.
Speaking during the handover of the laptops, KCB Foundation Director Mendi Njonjo said:
“Our education program intentionally seeks out vulnerable and marginalized learners at risk of dropping out of school completely. By providing the laptops today, our goal is to increase their digital skills and enable them to take advantage of digital jobs that they come across.”
She added
“Education is one of the pillars of our social impact agenda. It is one of the ways through which an individual can improve their quality of life and access opportunities. We, therefore, provide opportunities for underprivileged learners by going beyond paying tuition fees to providing mentorship and apprenticeship across all our branches.”
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The students were also introduced to the Ajira digital program and Google opportunities available from a freelancing perspective. This was through a panel discussion themed Digital Futures: Contributing to the Digital Innovations for SDG 4 that unpacked the opportunities available in the digital space to the students and to maximize these job linkages for their growth.
The students were also trained on leveraging digital innovations for their education, to enhance learning outcomes, and bridge the gap between traditional and modern teaching methodologies.
The KCB Foundation offers a comprehensive scholarship package that covers fee payment, school uniforms, personal effects, transport, shopping, pocket money, learning materials, and assistive devices for students with disabilities.
This year, the KCB Foundation piloted a student athletic program in alignment with the Competency-Based Curriculum. As such, its 2023 cohort includes 50 student-athletes who received a scholarship as well as athletics coaching at identified centers of excellence to nurture their talent to world-class athletes.
Annually, the KCB program targets 1,000 bright students from underprivileged backgrounds, with 100 slots allocated to Persons with Disabilities and 500 slots to girls – including gifted and talented individuals, students rescued from FGM, early marriage, and teenage mothers.
The program provides 100% transition to institutions of higher learning via tertiary scholarships for all its scholars commencing with the 2022 class.
Since its inception in 2007, the KCB Foundation Education Scholarship program has benefited 5,675 students, with 3,715 currently in Form 1- Form 4.