KENYA: Turkana Friends Mission Girls Secondary School Sponsorship Program

The Bohemia Foundation is working to support five teenage girls for the 2007 school year. Local village leaders and/or primary school principals nominated the girls for sponsorship. The Turkana Friends Mission board reviewed the applications and selected the girls it believed were the most in need.

Which schools are they attending?
The girls attend a variety of secondary schools—or high schools—in the Turkana region, according to their academic performance in primary school and subsequent admission to secondary school. The Kenyan Ministry of Education determines the admission terms. For more information on Kenya’s education system, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Kenya.

The Curriculum
The secondary school curriculum in Kenya is established by the government and culminates in a comprehensive final exam. A major subject is Christian religious education, which is taught in all schools. Other subjects include mathematics, English, Kiswahili (Sub-Saharan Africa’s most widely spoken language), biology, history, geography, chemistry, agriculture, physics and literature.

What is the annual approximate cost of sponsorship? (In U.S.D. based on $1=72 Kenyan Shillings)
Room, board & tuition: $400-$700 per year, depending on the school
Uniform: $82 per year
Transport: $55-$96 per year, depending on the location of the school
Books & supplies: $206 per year
Medical: $247 per year
Exam fees: $69 per year
Banking/Administration: $27 per year

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