Chandaria Foundation donates Sh3.9m for scholarships
Industrialist Manu Chandaria (seated right) hands over a dummy cheque to Kenya Community Development Foundation in Nairobi.
The Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) has received Sh3.9 million towards secondary school education scholarships for needy learners across the country.
The funding from Chandaria Foundation will see over 130 students go through secondary school education.
“We have received funding to support 130 secondary school students this year. The money will be used to pay fees for Form One students and learners in other classes,” said Grace Wakesho Maingi, the Executive Director at KCDF.
She explained that Chandaria Foundation reviewed KCDF student progress reports under the programme before confirming their support for the next year.
For the last 17 years, Chandaria Foundation has partnered with KCDF, a capacity-building organisation, to help needy children access secondary school education.
In the partnership, Chandaria Foundation has been providing the funds, while KCDF has been managing the scholarship portfolio.
“We started with 40 children, and after a while the numbers increased. We now have over 100 children,” said Dr Manu Chandaria in Nairobi last week.
Dr Chandaria has for the last nine weeks been immobilised, having suffered a fracture on his leg.
“We are also helping schools and teachers and organised groups to engage in better community outcomes,” said Ms Maingi.
Dr Chandaria has asked the government to give attention to local manufacturing to create jobs. “We are not growing as we should because our children are in the streets. The government must increase investments, industries and the capacity of manufacturing. They must focus on job creation and give Kenyan youth the best opportunities.”
Ms Maingi called on Kenyans to help the needy. “Kenyans are generous but we need to give in organised ways to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in a sustainable manner,” she said.
Some of the beneficiaries of the scholarship programme have come back to support vulnerable students.
“As a foundation, we want to help the community to be more resilient so that even in the face of shocks, they are still able to put food on the table and thrive,” she added.
