The From Streets to Scholars Scholarships Program

Health, care, nutrition, and shelter meet the immediate needs of the children we serve. However, at Become, we believe that part of what will promote their future as empowered members of society is their ability to access high quality education and professional training.

In the Homa Bay District (Nyanza province) in rural Kenya, only 23.5% of secondary school aged children enroll in secondary school! For more in-depth information about the geographical, economic and social context of the Nyanza province, visit the FS2S in Kenya section.

To tackle this low enrollment rate, in 2011, Become launched the “From Streets to Scholars” Scholarships Program, a platform that connects vulnerable children with specific sponsors worldwide, who provide support to them in the form of a secondary school scholarship. This unique program allows the sponsors to help children have a better chance to escape from dire circumstances and become change-making individuals within their communities.
Selection process
In order to assess and select a cohort of applicants to the program, Become conducts visits to primary schools in the area, collects application forms and has discussions with community leaders regarding compelling cases. Together with local teachers and principals, we identify children who face grave challenges associated with living in extreme poverty and other socioeconomic factors, who have a good probability of being accepted to secondary schools.

Then, team members conduct personal interviews with applicants and do home visits to the guardian. Meanwhile, fundraising efforts are deployed to find sponsors worldwide. Upon receipt of the KCPE results in December, and according to the number of sponsors available, the selected children are notified of the good news!  

A "positive discrimination" factor is included in the selection process for female applicants, as girls in Sub-Saharan Africa often present a high ratio of school drop-out, due to having to remain at home for chores or issues of teen pregnancy and early marriage.
Criteria considered
  • Status of child; double orphan, single orphan, parents still alive, teenage mother
  • Socioeconomic status of guardian and relatives
  • Affirmative action (positive discrimination) of gender factor, for female applicants
  • KCPE result
  • General situation (neglect, abuse, child labor), personal story, case-by-case

Volunteerism of scholars
As a part of the program, the children who get the scholarships commit to volunteer in their communities, and are encouraged to continue contributing to their communities after meeting their education goals. As a sponsor, you will receive updates on the educational progress of the child.

Donate to this project
Become guarantees that 100% of the funds donated by sponsors goes directly to the children they sponsor, and pays for his / her expenses, including: school fees, adequate nutrition, clothes, toiletries and transport. Donors can sponsor children from the day they complete primary school until the completion of their educational needs at a relatively low cost.
Read our latest YEARLY REPORT of the Streets to Scholars Scholarships Program,
published in March 2013, below: