The next generation

The daily challenges at Pipeline IDP Camp are obvious to any visitor - it's hard to miss the dilapidated tents, scattered rubbish piles or unemployed people. What remains more hidden, however, is the fact that an entire generation at the camp is struggling to complete the education they started before the post-election violence. Secondary school in Kenya (from Form 1 to Form 4) costs each student an annual average of US$500, which is well above what IDP families can afford. So the many teenagers I've noticed hanging around during the day aren't skipping class - no, they have actually been sent home because of unpaid school fees. I've had conversations with many of these young people and noticed an eagerness in all of them to get back to it and make a future for themselves. Unfortunately there is no way they can achieve this without outside support so I've decided to try to fundraise enough money for some of their school fees. The three students below in particular could use your help - if you'd like to contribute please leave a comment or contact me via e-mail. It goes without saying that receipts for the paid school fees will be produced upon request :-).

Since becoming displaced in 2008, Rebekah (21) has been unable to go to school regularly and is now three years behind her peers. She shares a tent with her father, while her mother sells vegetables in a town three hours away where she lives with Rebekah's twin sister and three younger siblings. The family gets reunited only a few times a year because they can't afford the transport costs between both places. Rebekah wants nothing more than to finish Form 3 and move on to her final year of high school. Funds needed: Ksh 16,000 = NZ$285 = 157 euro

Mary (19) is not only a bright student but also a gifted singer and could well be the next Kenyan Idol! She has become a good friend and keeps impressing me with her ever-present smile, despite living in difficult conditions with her mother and disabled nephew. Mary has been home from school for ages and has already missed several important pre-mock and mock exams. If she can gather enough funds to return to Form 4 (senior year) then she'll be able to graduate by November this year. Funds needed: Ksh 15,000 = NZ$267 = 147 euro Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of his widowed mother, Paul (18) managed to sit his senior exam in November last year. But because of an unpaid school fee balance, his high school is refusing to release Paul's Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education, which he needs in order to find a job or pursue further study. Paul has been in limbo for more than seven months now and is getting increasingly hopeless about his options. Funds needed: Ksh 13,000 Ksh = NZ$230 = 128 euro