Since 2017, The Kibera Girls Scholarship Program has sponsored 40-55 girls from Kibera annually who are admitted to residental secondary school programs in Kenya. The program focuses on girls who are in the most need of social protection and have not qualified for other scholarships. 100% of girls who have started secondary school in this program are still enrolled or have completed. After secondary school, many have or plan to attend college or university.

Girls apply through an application process that includes an application and interview. The selection committee, comprised of all members of the Kibera Youth Foundation team, chooses the scholarship recipients from a pool of graduates from Kibera Hamlets, a free community-based school, and Olympic Primary, the largest public school in Kibera. Students are selected based on a combination of need, academic performance, motivation, the expected impact of secondary education, and vulnerability factors, such as orphans, not living with a parent, HIV+ or living with a disability. 

Upon acceptance, the program covers the cost of 100% of the tuition, supplies and room and board fees through the completion of secondary school. We also organize mentorship sessions and computer classes with the girls during school breaks.

To date, we have sponsored 54 girls through graduation. In 2024, there were 42 girls in the scholarship program across the four grade-levels of secondary school.  In 2025, the program will grow to 53 girls across the four grade-levels.

Why Girls?

Girls in Kibera are particularly at risk of not graduating from high school, trapping them in a cycle of poverty. Even though these girls typically want to stay in school, many are forced by their families to start working to contribute to the family income or to stay at home and help their mother with chores like fetching water and going to the market. Some girls face early pregnancies and/or sexual violence. Even for the girls who are able to stay in school, their studies are often interrupted by their menstrual cycle due to lack of modern sanitary pads. It can be difficult for many girls to complete homework without adequate lighting and electricity at home and frequent concern about where their next meal will come from. Because these schools have a boarding component, girls who receive these scholarships have opportunities to leave difficult home situations and the risk of sexual violence. They have the chance to be the first in their families to complete post-secondary education and obtain a family-supportive job.

What does it cost for each girl?

• Tuition for one year: $500

• School materials (uniform, books, bedding, etc.) for one year: $250