FUM’s Girl Child Education program and Shepherd Boys Scholarship address challenges in Kenya’s Turkana and Samburu counties, on Mt. Elgon, and in Nairobi’s Kibera slum. Children in these areas find it difficult to access education beyond primary school on account of poverty, and, oftentimes, cultural practices related to gender.
For many years, FUM has been sponsoring girls education, especially in Turkana and Samburu, by paying tuition and other school costs to allow girls to attend secondary schools, which are often boarding schools. Girls’ participation in school allows them to avoid early marriage, to gain a better chance at entering Kenyan society and finding income, and improves the welfare of each girl’s present and future family.
In recent years, the Friends United Meeting General Board received appeals from the directors of Turkana Friends Mission and Samburu Friends Mission to provide a response for boys who are exposed to the violence and recruitment of banditry gangs in their pastoralist communities. In these communities, banditry and cattle rustling are at an all-time high. This situation is compounded by the harsh reality of drought and climate change which have depleted much of the livestock.
Providing an education for vulnerable boys in these communities is an important response to this crisis. So in 2024, the FUM General Board approved the establishment of the Shepherd Boys Education Fund. Modeled after the Girl Child Education program, the Shepherd Boys Scholarship will be available to sponsor vulnerable boys who are exposed to violence in Samburu, Turkana, and Mt. Elgon.
FUM is currently pursuing a grant to initiate this fund, and expanding staffing capacity to oversee both the Girl Child and Shepherd Boys programs. Additionally, FUM is adding a strong mentoring component to both programs. Along with providing support for school fees, our aim is to identify youth during their pre-secondary programs and provide life skills and faith development opportunities through high school. Further, we envision alumni of our program are well equipped to serve as mentors for these youth.
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