Meshack Ongonge started Humwend Secondary School in January of 2008 and he is currently in Standard (grade) 2 out of 4. He will be graduating in December of 2011 and this scholarship will cover his third year of High School.

Meshack is a good student and he is doing well in his classes. His highest grades are in Biology, Chemistry and Agriculture and he is also doing well in English. Meshack’s teachers are impressed with his potential and they would like for him to work even harder so that he can do even better during next school year.

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.