Program: Purpose: Amount: Term: Start date: Location:

Youth Learning Scholarships, leadership development for secondary school students $4.6 million Five years January 2010 Kenya

Why We Partnered

Established in 1984, the mission of Equity Bank is to champion the socio-economic prosperity of the people of Africa. It is ranked among the top five banks in Kenya and is the largest microfinance provider in East and Central Africa. Its strength is its ability to offer of a wide range of products typical of a commercial bank, combined with its deep outreach to the poor, typical of a microfinance institution (MFI). Equity Group Foundation (EGF) was established to create a clear financial and operational separation for social programs. Its goal is to transform the socioeconomic status of people in Africa through several program areas: education and leadership development of young people; support of women and youth entrepreneurs; health promotion; agriculture development; and spurring innovation at the bottom of the pyramid.

Working with Equity Group Foundation (EGF), this program will provide secondary students with comprehensive scholarship support to enable them to complete secondary school in Kenya. The program will also deliver leadership development, career guidance and mentoring to these students. This program also has the potential to serve as a model for funders interested in financing scholarships. EGF will document and disseminate the process and learnings to donors to scale up the program in Kenya and encourage replication of the model by other organizations.

Anticipated Impact

• Enable 332 academically gifted but financially disadvantaged students to complete secondary school. 
• Provide career guidance and mentoring to an additional 344 secondary students.