Margaret is the first ever scholar from Tsavo to have successful joined the Elephant Scholarship Program, emerging as the top student at Kileva Primary school. Based in Mwakoma, Sagalla, the Elephants and Bees team have supported the school for many years, however 2019 was the first year for a student from Tsavo to receive an STE scholarship. Since joining the program, Margaret will be assured of her high school education for four years, and upon maintaining her academic performance, as she proceeds to university too.

 

Offering life-transforming opportunities, Save the Elephants works closely with local primary schools – sponsoring highly motivated and intelligent children coming from disadvantaged backgrounds and who are unable to afford school fees. Since 2001, over 173 students have been awarded scholarships through the Elephant Scholarship Program, with huge support from Elephant Watch Camp.

 

The Scholarship program is one of the many outreach activities run by the Save the Elephants Education team in Northern Kenya. The team also teaches classes tailored to help increase student’s knowledge of elephants, organises field trips for students to see and appreciate elephants firsthand, and is helping with educational equipment and school support for a number of schools in Northern Kenya.

 

Over the August school break, Margaret travelled to STE’s Samburu camp, joining the Elephant Scholars in Form One for a six-day extra tuition session organised by STE’s Education Officers. Using the Khan Academy online tuition, the team is helping offer different problem solving techniques for the students, particularly in science and mathematics. Over the years, the online platform has been invaluable, helping past scholarship students easily grasp concepts and contents taught at school, and complimenting their overall performance.

Margaret was part of a group of 20 students from Northern Kenya (Samburu and Isiolo counties), who joined the program last year. This is giving her a chance to associate, learn from and with, and interact with similar young minds of different backgrounds from the North. During their stay, they participated in group discussions, peer-teaching sessions and interacting with recent graduates from the scholarship program.

On the final day, the scholars went on a game drive through the Samburu National Reserve. An exciting experience after the days of studying, this also gave her an opportunity to see various wildlife found up North, different from Tsavo or similar dry landscapes. Margaret will attend three more Khan Academy sessions till her final year in high school, all geared towards making her scale up her heights in education as well as elevating her appreciation of the diversity of cultures within and further afield.

 

 

If you are interested in helping support scholars like Margaret, please consider donating:

https://donate.wildnet.org/elephant-scholarship-program

Report by STE Education Team