The Rhino Cement Foundation is all about changing lives for the better. The foundation is involved in several activities that improve living standards of Kenyans one day at a time. They have recognised that one way of doing this is by helping Kenyans get an education.
Each year the Foundation’s education programme awards full scholarships and bursaries to students who’ve scored top marks in their primary and secondary final year exams nationwide. Needy students from disadvantaged families and backgrounds are selected from various parts of the country and are provided a rare opportunity to advance their education and reach their full potential.
Full secondary school scholarships and university scholarships are awarded to students at some of the country’s leading institutions. The scholarship period exposes students to mentorship opportunities that keep them focused on their education goals. The program also offers professional development and extended education programs for ARM employees.
Every year since the inception of the foundation, 30 secondary school scholarships are awarded annually. This includes 15 girls from different regions in Kenya. The scholarships catered for fees, books, uniform and boarding costs for the entire school period. University scholarships are also awarded for the full length of the program. These numbers increase every year as the strength of ARM and the Rhino cement Foundation grows every year.
One person who has benefitted from the Scholarship is Israel Otien, a former street child. He was sponsored to attend primary by Bahati Rehabilitation Centre but he had no means to further his education after sitting for K.C.P.E in 2009.
Israel took it upon himself to further his studies. He taught himself through borrowing books from friends and neighbours. For 3 years, he studied what his counterparts did in school without attending any classes. He would also do odd jobs around the area to get funds to pay for his exams. This was done at Makongeni Secondary School.
In 2012, he went for the “Vote for Kenya, Vote for Peace†blood drive organised by Ghetto Radio. While he was there, he was issued a wristband with information about RCF and their scholarship project. This is how he came to know about the scholarships opportunities the foundation offers to needy students. He tracked down their Nairobi office where he approached them and asked to be sponsored for his final year in high school.
RCF were impressed by the progress he had made on his own and sponsored him to attend St. Charles Luanga High School, a boarding school in Nyamira in 2013. He sat for his K.C.S.E in November and attained a mean grade of B-.
Today, Israel is working as an intern at RCF in the research and sales department as he waits to join university. He has a passion for civil engineering and hopes to one day work with ARM Cement. He has earned enough money to get rent his own place and moved out of the centre.
The foundation is currently seeking to help others like Israel to get an education. The links below will provide you the forms needed to apply for the secondary and University scholarships.
http://www.armafrica.com/public/arm-pdfs/High-School-scholarship-form-2013.pdf
http://www.armafrica.com/public/arm-pdfs/scholarship_form.pdf