by Meghan Frere
This winter break I had the opportunity to visit Nyumbani Village in Kitui, Kenya on a Branch Out International trip. Our group, the Kenya Sustainable Village Project (KSVP), volunteered for two weeks at Nyumbani, and focused in part on the issue of higher education access for the youth in the village. Nyumbani, which translates to “home” in Swahili, is a village that provides a home for orphaned children in the surrounding area, including those affected by HIV/AIDs. These children live in groups with older community members, or “grandmothers” (Susus in the local language, Kikamba) and attend elementary and secondary school in the village. While some attend university or trade school upon completion of secondary school, funding remains a large obstacle for many students in the village. Access to information and application materials are also major difficulties in attaining higher education. Access to higher education would provide secondary school graduates with the opportunity to contribute to continued development in the village and other parts of the country.
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