The LBW Trust, in partnership with Women for Change, is currently supporting its first cohort of graduating students at the Kakenya Center for Excellence (KCE) in Kenya. In August, a group of 13 supporters, donors, and representatives visited Kenya on a 14-day tour led by Chairman David Vaux. The group was hosted by Dr. Kakenya Ntaiya and her dedicated team of staff in Nairobi and Enoosaen.

Throughout the visit, the group heard from teachers, parents, the current cohort, and the next cohort of students, all of whom firmly expressed their gratitude for our work. Parents, particularly fathers, spoke glowingly of their thanks to The LBW Trust and our supporters for the opportunities being provided to their daughters, and of the impact that our shared vision to transform communities through female education will have on their families.

The trip reaffirmed the LBW Trust’s commitment to this community and KCE. Despite the challenges often faced by NGOs in Kenya, Dr. Ntaiya has a clear vision for Kakenya’s Dream. This vision includes the building of an ambitious second KCE site, which will educate girls from grade four through to the completion of their secondary studies all while considering the important issues of sustainability around food and health services.

Those of us involved in the operations of The LBW Trust and Women for Change see tremendous opportunities for us to act as the conduit to connect KCE to significant opportunities in Teachers Training, furthering our relationships and interactions with Australian universities. Overall, the trip had a great impact on all involved, and there is great promise for the deepening of our working relationship with Kakenya’s Dream.

We are also pleased to report that three graduates from Kakenya’s Dream, Linet, Sharon and Magdalene are now studying at WSU, UTS, and UYSD (on full academic scholarships provided by those universities respectively), with accommodation provided by Campus Living Villages and Urbanest. The students are being well looked after by Women for Change and host families. Women for Change have also engaged leading Australian women to act as mentors for the scholarship students in Kenya.