“I would like to be a doctor in future, thank you Ajuma and Chipper Cash for this special gift.”
- Derrick Omwambia, a student from Kapkenduiywo Primary School
A survey carried out by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics estimated the number of children yet to report back or enroll in school in Kenya's Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) region is more than 1.2 million. Over the years, these counties have recorded extensively lower access, participation, completion, and achievement rates in educational activities by students.
The goal of the Ajuma Foundation is to support education in low-income communities in Kenya. To reach this goal, the foundation partnered with Chipper in September 2021 for the Ajuma Exercise Books Project. Spanning four Kenyan counties - Uasin Gishu, West Pokot, Kajiado & Machakos - the project saw the distribution of 4,000 exercise books to students in 5 community schools.
Speaking on the project, the Country Director of Chipper Cash in Kenya, Leon Kiptum had this to say:
Our reasons for partnering with Ajuma were twofold - the first was that we felt that Education should be a key pillar for us to add to our CSR agenda. We have done a lot in sports already and need to look at other areas where we can make a positive impact in the communities. Note that the founders, Ham and Maijid actually left their home countries to pursue further Education and ended up founding Chipper. Secondly Ajuma as an individual is a globally recognised fashion model who went against all odds to get to where she is. Her story is quite inspirational.
Support can be given to teachers and schools to ensure that students have the materials that they need to learn. At the top of that list of needs is notebooks; a child with a notebook is more deliberate, can better recall what they have learned, and is also building a life-long skill that would help them beyond the four walls of a school. The opportunity for Chipper to contribute to a child’s success in this way is beyond amazing.
The Ajuma Exercise Books do something else beyond addressing the children’s literacy needs - the book covers are designed with characters that embrace and foster ethnic diversity, a very important topic for Kenyan children. The greetings on the back cover also introduce the children to the different languages of the various tribes complete with illustrations of the traditional tribal dress.
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These books will have an impact on our children’s education and even promote our culture. Today as you are here to contribute additional exercise books to our children, we appreciate the Ajuma foundation and Chipper Cash for this.
Scholastica Mashinga. Head Teacher, Kapkenduiywo Primary School
Leon also commented on the future of this collaboration:
This was not only about the teachers and kids, it was also about the parents who cannot afford to provide fully for their kids educational needs. Their reactions to the donations cemented the fact that this is an initiative Chipper would like to carry on with and pursue. In fact, we are in talks with the Ajuma Foundation for an exclusive right to support this initiative for a contractual period for the sake of consistency and making a wide meaningful impact over time.
The Ajuma Foundation was founded by Ajuma Nasanyena, an international model born in Turkana, Kenya. To find out more about Ajuma Foundation and its initiatives, visit ajumafoundation.org.