Zawadi Africa marks 10th Anniversary as it aims to empower more girls

By Eric Akasa

Leading educationists are pushing for increased funding for girls’ education in Africa to increase their participation in socio-political and economic development. Empowering women would boost economic growth and lift a big proportion of the population out of poverty, according to Dr Susan Mboya-Kidero, the daughter of the late Tom Mboya, who runs a continent-wide Zawadi Africa Education Fund.

She said Zawadi Africa Education Fund, which has so far financed higher education for over 150 girls, was targeting to increase scholarships for African women to study and boost their social standing in society.

Speaking during the 10^th Anniversary celebrations for Zawadi Africa at the Kenya National Museum in Nairobi, Dr. Susan Mboya-Kidero, who is founder and president of the fund, said the number of graduates continues to grow annually and appealed to well wishers and donors to support the initiative as it expands to its service portfolio and ventures into other countries.

“We have set a target of raising Us $1 million over the next three years, funds that will be used to building and expanding the programme as we enter our second decade,” she said. “We are looking into a future where we will have projects such as Zawadi Leadership Centres, Zawadi schools, Zawadi mobile clinics, Zawadi free legal counseling and so forth.” She adds.

The “Girl Effect” research by the Nike Foundation shows that approximately 150 million girls living in the developing world are not in school. Of this, 14% get married before the age of 15 and 38% before the age of 18. Further, when a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries 4 years later. When she spends two extra years in school, her wage earnings are boosted by 45%.

In addition, higher levels of education result in better infant and child health. Such findings have fuelled the drive to encourage girls in developing world, Kenya included, to stay in school and pursue their academic dreams even higher.

Africa Nazarene University Vice Chancellor Prof Leah Marangu, who was the chief guest at the function, said empowering girls through quality education and mentoring them to become great leaders enables them to reach their full potential while also making them become self-actualised.

“We need to inspire and motivate high school girls to ensure they get admission to universities. The impact of mentorship is great and one mentee can mentor another,” she notes. Prof Marangu said Zawadi Africa beneficiaries who have endeavoured to uplift the education of other economically challenged girls inspired her

“Zawadi Africa Education Fund is liberating us form the poverty of the mind. It is developing skills in girls that are significant to the communities,” she adds.

She said that, Africa Nazarene University had mentorship and leadership programmes was looking forward to partner with Zawadi to empower girls because “it is our responsibility to mold the character of our girls into servant and transformational leadership.”

The event was graced by companies and individuals who support Zawadi Africa. They include Commercial Bank of Africa represented by its CEO Isaac Awuondo, Coca Cola, Google, Safaricom, VSO Jipange, amongst others.

Zawadi Africa beneficiaries – Peggy Mativo, a third year student at the Harvard University, and Lillian Orlando, who graduated in 2010 – narrated how Zawadi Africa had changed their lives and mentored them into great women with vision.

Equipped with the slogan “Each one, Teach one”, beneficiaries of the Zawadi Education Trust Fund have embarked on several programmes targeting academically gifted but economically disadvantaged students.

Some of the programmes run by Zawadi Africa Alumnus include Life Skills Beyond the classroom programme, Teach for Africa, Masomo Mashinani, and The Peace Foundation for a Better Future amongst others.