Kenya Kiawamururu Education Fund

Our partners in Kenya work with the Kiawamururu Coffee cooperative in the Nyeri County. The Factory itself is located 160 km from Nairobi and 4.5 km from Mukurweini town along the Nairobi-Nyeri highway. There are 960 producers associated with the cooperative, a significant portion of which have children in need of schooling. Education is not free in Kenya, and children often drop out of school due to lack of funds. Producers have voiced the economic problems they are facing, and sending their children to school is one of the leading struggles. Annual tuition per student is roughly kshs 10,000, around 60-70GBP. Thus, the Kiawamururu scholarship fund was created by the Factory to assist the families. 

The program began in 2021, with five children. This year, the Factory was able to increase the funding for 12 students. The Factory has reached out to find more donors to assist with the tuition for more students.

Mercanta would like to help fund 10-18 students this year, and provide them with the opportunity to have an education. In both the UK and EU warehouses, there are a collection of Kenyan coffees for sale, and with each sale, 50p will be donated per kilogram to the Kiawamururu Fund.

2023 Update: We have successfully funded 12 students thus far, raising $1,000.

The cost of primary and secondary education is shared between the Kenyan government and families – which has made it difficult for children to remain in school. Over 1.2 million students have left school in order to obtain child labor jobs to assist with the family income. Additionally, the primary school drop-out rate in Kenya is 27%, and only half of the students completing 8th grade continue to further their education. Poverty and lack of funds has led to this unfortunate situation.

Students have so much potential, and are eager to learn in order to pursue careers in their future. Without the opportunity to attend school, students lose access to the many career paths education helps pave. Thus, the Kiawamururu Education Fund was initiated to provide the funds for the dreams of students in Kenya whose parents supply coffee to the Kiawamururu Coffee Factory.

The main objectives of the Fund are to:

• Improve access to secondary and tertiary education for students in poverty by providing funds for tuition and school supplies.
• Build career paths by providing mentorships and trainings in areas such as sustainability and coffee production.
• Improve learning conditions and spread awareness about the importance of education.
• Build leadership potential and community development.
• Regularly monitor the progress of each student with their teachers and parents to ensure success.

The Factory alone supplies 5% of its revenue to the Fund in order to help its members’ children requiring education assistance. The Fund is open to students at the secondary level through graduation. Students must have a C-Grade average or higher and submit an application along with a letter of support to be considered. Progress is evaluated at the end of each term by the Kiawamururu School Advisory Committee to ensure each student is on track.

Meet some of the wonderful students in need of funds below:

Patience Wanyaga, age 15

Her parents bring coffee to the mill and she loves the taste of coffee, saying ‘it is sweet.’

Rose Mary Nyambura, age 15

Her mother sells coffee to the mill, and has enjoyed going to school thanks to the Scholarship.

Erastus Mwangi, age 16

Martin Ngare, age 16

Mary Muthoni, age 15

Her grandparents bring coffee to the Factory.

Priscila Wanja, age 15

Agnes Kairu, age 15

Nancy Wanjiru, age 17

Her parents and grandparents are coffee producers, and sell their cherries to the Factory. She likes the sweet and bitter taste of coffee.

Tom Gikinyo, age 17

Rose Wachira, age 16

Her parents bring their coffee to the Factory.

Reach out today to see how you can help. We look forward to working with you and funding the future for children in Kenya.