In 2010, The Vanessa Grant Trust embarked on its most ambitious project – the creation of a brand new girls’ secondary boarding school called the Vanessa Grant Girls’ School (VGGS). In its first year the school had 30 enrolled students. By 2018 the school had over 400 girls enrolled and has become one of the highest ranked academic schools in Kenya.

Educational opportunities in Kenya tend to favour boys. Many girls, on completing primary education, are forced to drop out and are expected to return home to help on the farm until a suitable husband is found. Secondary education in Kenya can be expensive and many talented girls are simply unable to attend secondary school because their parents can’t pay the fees.

By sponsoring a girl through her secondary schooling at the VGGS, you will be giving one more girl the chance to break out of poverty, to be educated in a safe and nurturing environment, and to reach her full potential. We ask that you commit to the full four year sponsorship amount as the consequences of cancelling a sponsorship at any point during a sponsored girl’s secondary schooling has the potential to be quite damaging.

By sponsoring a young Kenyan girl through secondary school, you are giving her, her family and ultimately her community, a chance to break the cycle of poverty.

Although most secondary students who qualify for University are eligible for a government student loan, this does not cover the costs of moving to Nairobi or general living expenses.

For the students who have been sponsored through their schooling at the VGGS, it can feel like a terrible blow if they are financially unable to take up a place at University when it is offered to them. Some girls resort to desperate means to raise funds so they can cover living expenses to attend University.

The Vanessa Grant Trust has initiated its Tertiary Pathways Program which aims to provide grants to needy students who are intending to continue their education at University.

By sponsoring a secondary VGGS graduate through her four years of University education, you will be making it possible for her to pay for food, rent, public transport etc, and she will be able to focus more fully on her hard-won tertiary education.