Esther Anyango Ojwang started Humwend Secondary School in January of 2007 and she is currently in Standard (grade) 3 out of 4. She will be graduating in December of 2010 and this scholarship will cover her fourth year of High School.

Her favorite subject at school is Business and she would like to be a “business girl” when she is older. She lives more then 10 km away from Humwend and she has to walk to school each day as there is no other form of affordable transportation in her small community. In Esther’s community, she is involved in an anti-HIV/AIDS group that spreads knowledge about the disease. If she could change one aspect of her community, she would change the educational level that most people live with. Most individuals in her community are unable to attend high school, and she would like to see more people being able to attend.

About the School

Humwend Secondary School is a community-run school situated in Ukwala. Here, 57 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, and 24 per cent lives with the highly stigmatized human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Fifty students attend the school, 95 per cent of which are partial or complete orphans.

The cost of operating Humwend Secondary School for an entire year is approximately $21,000 USD. Unlike primary education in Kenya, the cost of tuition in secondary school is significantly higher and makes up the majority of school costs.