Program: Purpose: Amount: Term: Start date: Location:

Youth Learning Scholarships and leadership development for secondary school students $41 million Nine years January 2011 Kenya

Why We Partnered

Established in 1984, the mission of Equity Bank is to champion the socio-economic prosperity of the people of Africa. Equity Bank is ranked among the top five banks in Kenya and is the largest microfinance provider in East and Central Africa. It offers a wide range of products typical of a commercial bank and engages in deep outreach to the poor typical of a microfinance institution (MFI). Equity Group Foundation (EGF) was established as the focal point for the Bank’s partnerships on programs aimed at low-income populations.

As a result of Kenya’s Free Primary Education Policy, primary school enrolment in Kenya dramatically increased from 5.8 million in 2003 to 8.6 million in 2008. However, only 64 percent of primary students enter secondary school and even fewer graduate. The low secondary enrolment and completion rates are largely attributed to the costs of secondary education and the need for children from low-income households to work and help support their families.

The MasterCard Foundation’s partnership with EGF provides comprehensive scholarships to academically gifted, yet economically disadvantaged secondary students in Kenya. The program, called “Wings to Fly”, covers tuition, books, uniforms and stipends for the entire duration of their secondary education. The program places emphasis on leadership development, career guidance, networking and mentoring to help these students succeed in school and beyond. Upon graduation, high-performing scholars are given financial support for post-secondary education and are selected for internships at Equity Bank. Wings to Fly is the largest secondary school scholarship program in Kenya.

Anticipated Impact

• Enable 5,600 academically gifted but financially disadvantaged Kenyan students to complete secondary school.
• Provide continuity in education and career guidance to students from rural areas in Kenya.
• Document and disseminate learnings to donors to scale up the Wings to Fly program and encourage replication of the model by other organizations.