Jubilee Scholars encourages and supports primary school graduates (grade 8) to pursue their dream of attending and graduating from secondary (high) school. Each Jubilee Scholar receives sponsorship in the form of fully-paid tuition, boarding, textbooks and supplies to attend a provincial boarding seconday school.

The Jubilee Scholars program began in 2008 at the time there was no secondary school in Kager village.  The nearest secondary school was 8 kilometers away and was travelled to daily by those children fortunate enough to attend.  It is esmated that only 20-25% of children graduating from primary school (eighth grade) are successful in going on to secondary school.  The program serves as a motivating tool to all children to complete their primary education and supports the achievement of two Millennium Development Goals:  MDG Goal #2 – Achieve Univeral Primary Education and MDG Goal #3 – Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women. 

The first two Jubilee Scholars selected in 2009 were Irine Auma On’gondo and Kennedy Ouma Nyanjwa, both who graduated from Heartspring Academy. With the opening of the JVP-supported God Kado Secondary School in 2010, the Jubilee Scholars program was scaled back to support only one student (Edith Amondi Ouko)  in the 2010-2011 school year.

To read more about these three outstanding scholars, click on their pictures below:

Irine On'gondo

Kennedy Nyanjwa

The Jubilee Scholars are chosen by a Selection Committee (headed by Andrew Aduda, Education Champion) from all of the children graduating from the three primary schools in the village based on the following criteria:

• One girl and one boy
• Distinguished themselves with high scores on the Kenya National Exams
• Have no other means to pay tuition / room & board to attend secondary school
• Stong character, including good citizenship, desire to give back and serve Kager village,  and strong work ethic
• Committed to share with the JVP how their school work is going and how their life is developing as a result of their secondary education.

The Jubilee Scholars sponsorship is for four years (grades 9 to 12), but will only be renewed each year based on satisfactory participation and performance by each student.   The sponsorships are up to 50,000 KSHS ($667 per year) per year per student and this covers all costs of a provincial boarding high school: 1) tuition 2) room and board 3) uniform 4) books 5) supplies.  There is an expectation that some level of financial commitment will also be made by the parents of the students. Knowing that these students will be selected from the poorest of the village, we understand this may not be a very large amount, but it will demonstrate a commitment by the parents.

It is the hope of the Jubilee Village Project to identify family sponsors for each of the Jubilee Scholars and to develop people-to-people relationships  through letter writing and e-mails (and Village Visits!).