Nambale Scholars Foundation

Nambale Magnet School (NMS) is a special place and life-changing for the students who attend. A haven for 425 children of the Nambale region who are students at the school, attendance at NMS is especially crucial for the thirty percent of the children who are on full scholarship. These children, some orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in Africa and all in vulnerable home and economic situations, have been saved by NMS in multiple ways. As one of the students said, “Before I came to Nambale Magnet School, I didn’t speak English and didn’t have enough food. Here, I have good food, clothes and now I speak English!”

When the children reach 8th grade, they take their national exams (which are the sole determinant of each student’s high school admittance prospects and future). The full scholarship students have potential to be admitted to some of the best Kenyan high schools, however they have no means to pay tuition, school fees, or room and board. For those who might get admitted to the local schools, even the expense of the required uniforms would be prohibitive.

For these graduating 8th graders, not attending High School is a grim prospect. Without further education, the boys are likely to find themselves as ‘boda-boda’ motorcycle cabs: a dangerous job with a likelihood of introducing the drivers to criminal activity. The girls are likely to become part of the statistic of teen-age mothers in the area, or become day laborers. All of these options are exploitative and frustrating for those who have seen that a better future is possible while at Nambale Magnet School.

Nambale Scholars Foundation was formed to fill the gap for these students, providing a grant for deserving graduating NMS students to continue their life-changing education. These grants allow scholarship students in each graduating NMS class to attend the school that best fits their capability. This ranges from top national schools and regional schools to local high schools and even vocational schools. As the World Bank notes, “Education is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality and lays a foundation for sustained economic growth”.

Nambale Scholars Foundation is committed to the continuing education of the most vulnerable children of Nambale and working to change their future, one life at a time.