Spring is a wonderful time to observe fresh, new life popping up all around. After long winters, it is a welcome invite to step into new opportunities and chapters. Currently, in Kenya, there is a spring-like spirit taking place across The Humanity Share programs as new beginnings are launched and continue to progress.
For the secondary school program, the girls returned to school last week from Monday, May 13 through Wednesday, May 15. This opening was uniquely later in the month after a series of heavy rains throughout the month of April and the beginning of May that kept students at home, unable to return to school because of severe flooding. The floods that have swept across the country have caused much devastation, damage, and displacement of individuals and families. In some areas, there has even been the loss of lives. To keep school-going children safe, the government of Kenya declared a nation-wide holiday extension to allow the flooded schools time to recover from the damages and prepare for the new term of learning. Seeing the students return to school was a joyous moment and we are hopeful that their schooling will not be disrupted by unexpected rainfall.
Within the university program, our university students are gearing up for a new school year beginning in late summer. The application process for the university scholarship kicked off last week Thursday, May 16, and already our scholars are showing up at the office eager to apply for continued sponsorship for the upcoming school year. This year, we hope to increase our university sponsorships from the 45 students during the 2023 intake. The majority of new university students will be from 2023 secondary cohort that completed high school in December. It is our pride and joy to see the girls progressing in their education and this year holds a lot of potential for continued growth.
In the Orinie community, the borehole that we drilled in April is moving forward with good traction. We are currently making plans to install a water pump which will enable the borehole water to be readily available for the community. Once it is fully operational, we will be able to monitor the impact it is making in Orinie and the communities around it.
