In Sub-Saharan Africa, 40% of children are not in school. Of the children who enter into and remain in school through grade 12, less than 1/3 can demonstrate an understanding of their course material. This means that the majority of students enter the labour market with sub-standard literacy and numeracy skills, which hinders their ability to find well-paid jobs.
Our Response
The student sponsorship programme strives to eliminate barriers to schooling for students with high academic potential who would otherwise not be able to afford quality education. Once accepted to our sponsorship programme, we prioritise enrolment, retention and completion of secondary school at well-reputed boarding schools, where the educational resources are far greater than those found at government day schools. Thereafter, we aim to see 85% of our sponsored students retained through secondary school. For our 2020 cohorts, we are currently tracking a retention rate of 76%.
In 2022, we are sponsoring 70 students in secondary school, college and trades schools. We also recently expanded the programme to involve parents more strategically in their children’s education by organising academic lessons for parents and facilitating in-person visits to their children at schools. Our hypothesis is that children with parents who are actively engaged in their education will have better academic outcomes. We aim to prove this hypothesis and use the data to encourage more parents to take the time to understand their children’s education and support them however possible.

Retention Rates for Sponsored Students by Cohort and Site

Percent of Students who Graduated Secondary School by Cohort and Site