Equity : First Ever Wings to Fly Alumnus Wins the 2017 President's Award-Kenya (PA-K)

First Ever Wings to Fly Alumnus Wins the 2017 President's Award-Kenya (PA-K)

This award makes the former Karima Girls Secondary School student the 11 from Kenya to receive the award since the inception of the Northern Consortium UK (NCUK) programme. It will see Dorris receive a five-year scholarship to pursue a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Pharmacy and a one-year internship in the UK.

The President's Award-Kenya (PA-K) is an exciting self-development programme available to all outstanding young people countrywide equipping them with positive life skills to make a difference for themselves, their communities, country and the world. It was launched in 1966 by the Founding Father of the nation, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.

The annual award is offered to intellectually gifted Kenyan students from humble backgrounds to pursue studies at a leading UK university. It is supported by members of the Northern Consortium UK (NCUK), Brookhouse International School in Kenya and British Airways.

While congratulating Dorris, Equity Group CEO Dr. James Mwangi said winning the scholarship to a prestigious university in Britain shows the quality of values that have been inculcated in scholars through the Wings to Fly Programme. 'Dorris has lived the ethos of the programme and the values of Equity Group. She has good attributes that have endeared her to colleagues, her teachers and to the larger society. Her character is that of determination. Dorris, being the first Wings to Fly scholar to win the presidential award makes her a role model not only to her family but also to the other scholars in the programme.' he said.

Dr. Mwangi went on to praise Brookhouse International School for giving Dorris the opportunity to apply for the President's UK Scholarship Award and appealed for more of such interventions. 'I request the larger community to give opportunities to these children for a successful generation in the future. I also take this opportunity to thank our sponsors particularly The MasterCard Foundation and all the other donors including the Equity Group Foundation for all they have done for the nearly 15,000 Wings to Fly scholars,' he said.

The award was presented by Brookhouse International School Board member, Dr. Julius Kipng'etich who encouraged Dorris to give back to the society by sharing the knowledge acquired to enrich the community and share her talents to make a difference in the society. 'For Dorris to reach where she is, she must have made wise but tough decisions that paved the way in her life. I encourage you to see yourself as the person who will help the people of Matungulu to realize the light in the health sector,' said Dr. Kipng'etich.

Brookhouse International School Director, John O'Connor congratulated Dorris for her academic prowess and challenged her to use the opportunity to make a difference in her life as well as that of her family. 'We celebrate the opportunity for young students in Kenya to travel around the world, learn, network and get skills that will transform their lives forever. This opportunity is not for Dorris alone, it is for Kenya,' said O'Connor.

Dorris expressed her appreciation for the support she has received since joining the Wings to Fly programme. 'The Wings to Fly programme gave me a fantastic opportunity. It is the foundation of my life. It is because of this scholarship that I managed to work with Equity Bank and has helped shape my life journey, allowing me to accomplish so much.'

Dorris' excellent performance in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams enabled her to secure admission to the Equity Bank Pre-University Paid Internship Programme under the Equity Leaders Programme (ELP) and served as an intern at Equity Bank at Kayole Branch. During the internship, she applied for a six-month International Foundation Study scholarship at Brookhouse International School and on admission, she scored 2A* and 2As enabling her to secure the award.

The Northern Consortium UK (NCUK), was created by 11 of the UK's leading universities, including the University of Bradford, University of Sheffield, Kingston University, The University of Kent, University of Manchester and Queen Mary University of London among others.

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About Wings to Fly programme

Equity Group Foundation and The MasterCard Foundation with additional funding support from USAID, UKAid, KfW, Equity Bank, individuals and institutions under the Wings to Fly programme has been implementing a comprehensive secondary scholarship support programme for top performing yet needy (orphan or vulnerable) students in all sub-counties across Kenya. In providing this opportunity to Kenyan children who may have otherwise gone unnoticed, the Wings to Fly programme is in line with Kenya's Vision 2030 blueprint to transform Kenya into a middle-income economy led by well-educated and trained citizens.

The objective of the scholarship programme is to provide financial support and leadership empowerment tools to such students. The scholars under this programme receive support for all their needs (tuition, accommodation, books, uniform, and transport to and from school, shopping and pocket money) while attending secondary school for the 4 years. The total number of scholarships given under the Wings to Fly programme is 14, 168 since 2010.

Equity Group Foundation

Equity Group Foundation was established by Equity Group Holdings Plc to create the financial and operational infrastructure for its social programmes aimed at the low-income population. This innovation and creative vehicle has fully transformed the concept of philanthropy and corporate social responsibility. While Equity Group Foundation champions the social economic transformation of the people of Africa and seeks partnership along seven cluster thematic areas, Equity Group provides the infrastructure of delivery hence reducing the operational cost of the Foundation and increasing the rate of return on any social investment. The seven key social thematic areas are Education and Leadership development, Financial Literacy, Financial Inclusion, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Agriculture, Health, and Environment.

www.equitygroupfoundation.com

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