Education
Student Sponsorship ($400/YEAR)
The Mnyenzeni Secondary school is the only secondary school in the area that Koins serves. The students come from four primary schools. Each primary school has 900 – 1000 students with classes through the eighth grade. Primary education is free in Kenya, provided by the government.
The Mnyenzeni Secondary school currently has just over 500 students. The numbers remain low because families cannot afford the tuition that is required. The student’s families will pool their money to let one child attend secondary school. The ratio is 1:10 of primary school students to secondary students; and this number is lower than it has ever been because Koins currently sponsors approximately 80 students at the secondary school.
THE COST TO SPONSOR A STUDENT is $ 400.00 PER YEAR. This cost represents the average yearly income for many families, so it is easy to see why education is nearly impossible to afford.
If a child does not continue on to secondary school, they are left with few opportunities other than to make a life for themselves and their families by farming to provide food for their families, with not much else available in the way of income.
Steve and Nancy Littlefield have volunteered to be the Student Scholarship Coordinators for Koins for Kenya. They work closely with the headmaster of the secondary school, and the Koins Board in Kenya to create a list of intelligent, hardworking and highly motivated students who are in jeopardy of losing the ability to attend school due to lack of funding.
If you would like to pay for the education of a student, you can do that with a check or a credit card. Secure credit card contributions can be made through our website donation page choose Scholarship Fund as your donation destination. Check contributions can be made to Koins for Kenya, and mailed to 252 No. Preston Drive, Alpine, Utah 84004, and be sure to specify “Scholarship donation” on your check.
Nancy will establish communication between the student and the sponsor. You will receive a letter from your sponsored student with a report card of their grades three times a year. It will be your choice to extend this communication further. Imagine the possibilities: If you have school children of your own, you can encourage their communication with a sponsored student and teach some life lessons about cultural and lifestyle differences. If you teach school, you can encourage your class to contribute to the scholarship of a student, and the class can communicate with that student. Regardless of your purpose, to give the gift of education to one of these Kenyan students will change their lives for good forever.
SEAN MICHELS SCHOOL FOR SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENTS
The SMS is located in the village of Miyani, on the grounds of the Miyani Primary School. It is the largest structure Koins has undertaken to build to date. There are two dorm rooms, one for boys and one for girls, a large classroom, and a small room to house the matron, who will take care of the children who will live there. The idea of the SMS is simple: provide education for special needs children who, for a variety of reasons, cannot be properly educated in the current school system in Kenya. The government has provided a specially trained special needs teacher. He has interviewed families within the villages Koins serves and found 30 students who qualify for an education such as the SMS can provide; i.e., teachable but with limitations that keep them from attending the public school system.
Our hope is to provide an education for these children, many who have never been to school. By receiving an education, they will have a much better chance to be productive within their society. If possible for them to integrate with mainstream school at some point, that will be the goal. If not, the SMS will continue to provide their education. We have chosen an initial 30 students, with the intention of adding more children with time.
Our hope is that we will find sponsors to provide for the expense of educating these children from year to year. The cost per child is 300.00. If you are interested in sponsoring one of these special needs students, please contact Nancy Littlefield (nancy@koinsforkenya.org).  Nancy Littlefield and Lisa Michels, Sean’s mother, will work to create communication about the child you have sponsored. In many cases, these special needs students cannot write or communicate with you; however, we will look for ways to keep you informed about your sponsored student.
You can read more about how the Sean Michels School project came to be here.
and here
You can read about the Michels family experiences at the official opening of the Sean Michels School here.
(List of students forthcoming)
University Student Sponsorship ($2,500/year)
The superstars who qualify for university (less than 2% of the secondary students), are those who will make the most impact on our area in the future. They are required to pay $2,500 per year for tuition, books, room and board to attend one of several Kenyan universities.
Each sponsored student will write letters to their sponsors at least three times per year, sharing their progress, including a copy of their recent report cards, and where they rank in their class. These wonderful students recognize that their sponsors hold their future in their hands, and are grateful beyond measure that they have an opportunity to continue their education. Monthly donations for our university students makes it easy to sponsor one of our gifted children who have fought a valiant battle to arrive at this unbelievable pinnacle of diligence. You will not sponsor an empty name with the Koins for Kenya scholarships, but will develop a true kinship with a student whose education and training will impact the future of our village area.
