How are the scholars selected?

Talent is measured by the vision the student expresses in a short essay (part of the application process) as well as by school grades (in Kenya there is a standardized test after primary school which is free of charge) and a short assessment.

With regard to neediness: it is important to know that about 40-50% of all school children in Kenya cannot afford the fees for secondary school - so based on these numbers a lot of people are already needy. We evaluate the details of the financial situation of our scholars through assessments by the teachers and area chiefs/district education officers, as well as from other information such as the parents’ jobs (in many cases, the parents are small farmers or one or both parents have died), number of siblings, etc. When in doubt, we conduct either telephone interviews or personal interviews at the child’s home. In personal interviews, we look at criteria such as availability of electricity at home, number of electronic devices in the home, what kind of water access (i.e., a well, a river, rainwater, etc), the kind of roof on the home (i.e., metal or palm leaves).

This preselection process determines that the shortlisted AiduSeekers are talented and in need of money to complete their education. The AiduMaker, i.e., the person who finances the scholarship, decides which student to finance from the shortlisted AiduSeekers after going through each profile.

What happens with scholars who stay home or earn money, instead of going to school?

All students are highly motivated because they know that education is their only chance to achieve their dreams. Every successful applicant to the Aiducation Scholarship Program has high goals that play an important role during the pre-selection process of Aiducation International. They know that the scholarship offers them a new chance in life. Interim reports document the scholar’s progress and attendance. Should the scholar decide to skip school for some reason, or drop out of the program entirely, the AiduMaker is consulted and the scholarship can be transferred to a more motivated student - but such cases are extremely rare.

Why don't you make it an obligation for every scholar to pay back their scholarship once they earn enough money?

This has been under discussion for quite some time. However, it is not easy to stay in touch with alumni in Africa - especially if the students themselves don't want it - because few people have a static (postal) address. Keeping in touch like this would require great financial input from Aiducation’s administration. And finally, we sponsor secondary school students, meaning that it takes several years if not longer, until they earn a decent salary that would enable them to repay the scholarships. We aim to stay in direct contact with as many scholars as possible using e.g., social networks, and also by asking them to stay in touch with us.

What is the difference between you and for example sponsorship organizations?

2. An exclusive one-on-one relationship between the AiduMaker and their scholar: AiduMakers can follow their scholars’ progress, see how their money is used, and how it creates a positive impact for the individual and for his/her community.

3. No administration costs: we do not deduct any administration costs from the AiduMakers payments - over 90% of the money is used to finance the scholarships! We work with corporate sponsors ("infrastructure sponsors") to finance our administration costs. Aiducation International has no paid staff at the moment. The organization is run by a core group of volunteers.

4. Our Mentorship Academies: during these annual events, all our fellows get together to connect and learn from each other and to develop ideas during workshops and lectures on how each of them can use their potential for a better Kenya.

Which schools do the scholars attend?

The scholars usually attend one of the top 100 schools (boarding schools) in Kenya. The education at these top-tier institutions is comparable to the quality of a European high school. Why the top schools? - After the standardized national exams in primary school, these are the schools which choose the best students. Aiducation International only supports high-performing students, and these are the students who have been chosen to attend one of these top schools. Often they cannot afford to attend without a scholarship

How do you deal with the situation IF the student's family gets into a family, financial, social or other crisis?

Yes, that is a problem. We do not follow an integrated approach but focus only on the school fees and the non-financial support of the students in our 'Mentorship Academies.' Since our scholars attend boarding schools, they will always be catered for and have a place to stay.

In what other countries are you active?

At the moment we are only sponsoring candidates in Kenya.

I would rather send my donation to Asia. Can I sponsor a scholar in a different country?

Currently, we only have partnerships with schools in Kenya but we hope to add a second country (this country will be in Asia) in the course of the year.

Why do you only support 'High Potentials'?

We think that people are the most important lever for the political, social, and economical development of a country. We call those with
the potential to have a positive impact 'High Potentials.' By specifically supporting 'High Potentials,' we want to support the development
of Kenya.

What is a 'High Potential' for Aiducation International?

A “high-potential” is a child who has a vision for his or her future that helps in the development of the infrastructure of the country. Many of our AiduFellows want to pursue a career in healthcare, for example, and we believe this is an area in which Kenya’s brightest minds could have a great deal of success.

Do you really select the right students and not just the geeks? What are THE criteria, on which you preselect the students? 

First of all, we pre-select all students according to two basic criteria: talent and need. The actual selection process is divided in three steps:

1. First of all, all candidates apply using our 8-page application form, in which their talent (vision, grade point average, volunteer engagement, teacher recommendation) and need (number and age of siblings, profession of parents, are the parents still alive? teacher recommendation) is evaluated.

2. Then, for candidates about whom we are not sure (yet), we conduct personal interviews, often - but not always - in the applicant’s home where we assess the scholar’s family’s standard of living, including for example, examining the type of water access (i.e. pipe, well, river, rainwater), number of electronic devices, and if there is electricity in the home.

3. In the third step, the AiduMaker chooses the applicant that convinces him/her most.

How do you measure success?

At the end of the year, each AiduMaker receives progress reports about his or her scholar. These include school grades, which measure the scholar’s success in the classroom. In addition all scholars can include documents that show their engagement outside of the classroom. (For example, one of our scholars began a local mini-initiative designed to fight a famine in the north of Kenya). The scholarships are then extended every year for a maximum of four years. If the scholar’s academic results are not meeting expectations, the extension of the scholarship can be denied. In these cases the scholarship can be transferred to another student – after consultation with the AiduMaker.

You say you want to build an infrastructure for Kenya. What happens if all your bright students then go abroad? How do you fight the “brain drain"?

We are aware of this issue but don't believe this is an imminent threat.

1. Of course we would like our students to stay in Kenya and we try to ensure that we support students who plan to do so.

a) Besides good grades at school, the candidates must describe how they want to use their talent for a better Kenya. We will not choose any students who simply want to take advantage of the system and then move abroad just to make a lot of money!

b) Our annual "Mentorship Academies" also serve to point out to our young talents that such a scholarship is a privilege and it is up to them to use their talent responsibly- for themselves and for their country.

2. Since our scholars are high school-age students (and not students at a college or university), only very few, if any, will have the chance to go abroad in the foreseeable future.

3. Even if students do leave their country, the effect can also be positive for Kenya. First of all, "Brain Drain" is not inevitably unfavorable for the development of Kenya. Since some of them return home after a few years, this promotes the transfer of know-how from developed countries to developing countries as well. A prominent example is Mahatma Ghandi who spent many years in England and in South Africa before he applied his skills in India. Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, is another such example – she lived in the United States for several years before she started the green-belt movement in Kenya.

4. The financial support from expatriates to their families at home is about as large as global development aid. (For example, our Aiducator from Kenya, Raymond, who went abroad and is now working with Aiducation International, Germany). So, the positive effect on the development of human capital is ensured, despite the risk of the "Brain Drain"! (Additional information: in 2007, the money that expatriates sent home to their developing countries added up to 250 billion US$  which is more than twice the entire development aid donated by OECD countries (103 billion US$); Source: Swisscontact. If you’d like to read an article on El Salvador which describes this phenomenon - please contact us here)

what is the impact you are having WITH your scholarshipS?  

Aiducation International’s AiduFellows are selected for their potential to positively impact their society. As they contribute to building a Kenyan civil society, they multiply the AiduMaker’s impact and shift it from an individual to a social (regional and even national) level. Consequently, it is expected that each scholarship will not only have a short-term impact but also a mid-/ long-term impact.

Two different methods are applied to measure this impact.

The short-term impact is the impact while the AiduFellow is still at school: thanks to each scholarship, high-potential students can finance their high-school fees. By providing this opportunity, Aiducation International and our AiduMakers a) give a perspective to financially dependent students who want to succeed and motivates them to excel in their studies; b) bring forward a minority group of top performers previously not identified; and c) assist this top-performing group into existing schools, thereby raising the academic level and benefiting the entire country.

This short-term impact is assessed in the progress reports giving information on the academic performance of each AiduFellow and on the AiduFellow’s extracurricular activities and special achievements. One of our AiduFellows, for example, is Obrein Telly who recently led a small team of students to donate approximately €400 for victims of a famine in Kenya. His efforts were honored with an article in one of the two national newspapers (see press archive). Students like Obrein Telly serve as proof of the short-term impact of Aiducation International’s approach.

The mid-/ long-term impact can only be seen years after our AiduFellows’ graduation from high school. As we know that macro-data on the economic, social, and political development of Kenya is dependent many factors which are not under the control of Aiducation International, we are building a long-term network for AiduFellows that will allow us to stay in touch with them and follow their development. An example of the positive mid-/ long-term impact of scholarships on bright but needy students in Kenya is Jeremiah Kiponda Kambi, the founder and CEO of Aiducation International Kenya. Coming from a poor family, he was in a similar situation to the scholars of Aiducation International - his family couldn’t afford to pay the school fees for his secondary school but he was the lucky recipient of support from a local service club. 15 years later, Jeremiah Kiponda Kambi has not only completed his high-school education and studied medicine but has become a clinical research assistant who can provide for his family. In addition, as the founder and CEO of Aiducation International Kenya, he is giving back to society and is the living proof of the positive mid-/ long-term impact. Our scholars are selected for their potential to positively impact their society at the economic, social, and political level. Education empowers them and increases the impact from an individual to the social (regional and even national) level.

The long-term impact is measured several years after our scholars’ graduation from high school. Through the mentorship academies, we are building a network for our students to allow us to follow their long-term development and contribution to the economic, social, and political development of their country. This long-term impact is to be assessed in a forthcoming scientific study in cooperation with researchers from ETH Zurich.

Why do the students have cell phones?

Usually they have them to stay in contact with the parents, relatives, neighbors etc., in case of e.g., emergencies. In developing countries, cell phones are very common because the cost is low and there are few landlines available. Access to electrical power is not necessary because charging stations are readily available

Why have SOME students already attended a year of high school?

This happens for different reasons:

1. A local sponsor or relatives paid the school fees for the first year.
2. The family was able to pay a part of the school fees. This kept the student in school for some time.
3. The school accepted the student "on probation" so he/she could look for a source of money.
4. It is possible (and this often happens) that the money available is insufficient and the student is sent home.  

This happens for different reasons:

1. A local donor paid the primary school fees (but stopped financing at the secondary-school level).

2. The school accepted the student for free or for very low fees, because he/she had very high grades in his/her former school. There is a national ranking for all primary and secondary schools and the school’s rank depends on the final grades of the graduating students in their standardized exams. The better the students, the better their grades, and the higher the primary school will be in the ranking.

3. Parents may have saved money to pay the fees for a private school in the last 1-2 years of primary school. The fee for a private elementary school is usually much less than the fees for private secondary schools. The parents’ reasoning is that they want to offer their children a y good learning environment so that they score high marks in their final exams. (Public primary schools are often of low quality - with 80-200 students per class, it is extremely difficult to learn effectively and get high marks.)

The parents of an applicant have respected professions ("pastor", "lab technican", "teacher"). Are thEse students REALLY needy as well?

Our applicants often come from rural areas and only seldom from abject poverty, such as the slums of cities. Although the parents have respected professions, they are not able to pay the school fees for their children. The most common reasons are:

1. The parents have several children at school and are, therefore, not able to pay the fees for all of them.

2. The school demands very high fees that even parents with respected professions can't afford to pay (such as a "national school")

An applicant LISTS "computer" AS A HOBBY and has an e-mail address. Why is this student still 'needy'?

It is, of course, possible to use hobbies to draw conclusions about a child’s social background, but these can also be deceptive. In Kenya, some social projects offer cheap computer courses and, at some elementary schools, students are trained how to use computers. Depending on the regularity of access, it is also possible for students to have an email address (however, these addresses often belong to friends or relatives).

Are donations tax-deductible?

Yes, in Switzerland, Germany and the UK

Is Aiducation International neutral in terms of political opinion and religious beliefs?

Yes, we are neutral. The religion and political view of the applicants are not asked about in the application process and do not play a role. We often do not even know which religion the student practices, if any. In order to receive a scholarship, the student must fulfill our two criteria: they must be talented and needy!

When choosing the students, do you look AT GENDER or ethniciTY?

We try to achieve an equal distribution in terms of gender and ethnicity. However our two criteria, talent and need, are the overriding factors in how we choose our scholars.

How is my donation used?

At least 90% of the scholarship money is invested in the school fees of the applicant chosen by the AiduMaker. Should the school fees for the student be less than the money donated, the surplus is invested in the fees of other students. The school fees include the classes, housing, and full board at the school. The student’s family pays for additional costs such as school books and materials, travel to and from school as well as the school uniform. This is the contribution we expect from the families because in Kenya even poor families can usually afford these costs.

Is there an annual report / financial report available?

Umbrella Organization

The umbrella organization, Aiducation International, does not have a financial report because it currently does not operate on a budget . It also does not have a bank account. The goal of the organization is to define global strategies and provide support for the national chapters. All funds donated by AiduMakers are directly credited to the national chapters' bank accounts and do not go through the umbrella organization.

Aiducation International Umbrella is the only organization currently allowed to cooperate with corporate partners and foundations. When a grant is awarded, the funds are directed to the relevant national chapter which, in turn, makes a transfer to Aiducation Kenya. We have a one-voice policy regarding partnerships: before any national chapter approaches a company or foundation, the umbrella organization must be involved.

National Chapters

In the UK, we do not have an annual report yet. The first annual report for the UK chapter will be delivered to the Charity Commission at the end of our first year of operation in Feb-March 2011. This report will reaffirm our mission statement, present our achievements for Year 1, and include a financial report. It will be posted on the Commission's website and made available to the public.

The German Chapter has just finished its first year of operation and is in the process of creating its first report.

The Swiss Chapter has a financial report. It is available on demand – please let us know if you would like a copy.

All school fees are paid by Aiducation Kenya. All receipts are transferred to Aiducation Switzerland where expenses are verified.

Is our performance (including financial performance) assessed by an independent body?

All national chapters are registered non-profit organizations and must, therefore, comply with the laws and regulations of their country of operation. Independent audits of financial statements are not a realistic option for the time being in any of our chapters because accounting firms charge fees which we cannot afford.

In Scholarship-Raising Chapters, finances are examined annually by financially literate AiduMakers (donors). In the absence of a full audit, this constitutes a good independent check as AiduMakers have a strong incentive to ensure their money is put to good use.

UK Chapter

In the UK, we are accountable to the Charity Commission which will review our performance annually. The Commission is there to ensure we provide a public benefit and has the right to rescind our registration if we fail to demonstrate such benefit.

As we are subject to tax exemption, we are also accountable to HMRC [PW1] . HMRC ensures that ‘fit and proper persons’ run charities which means people who are not at risk of committing fraud. If in any doubt, HMRC can request detailed information about the trustees and managers (i.e., background checks etc.), and take appropriate action (including removing an improper person).

In the UK, charities with less than £25,000 income have no legal requirement for a financial examination. Charities with an income between £25,000 and £ 500,000 have a legal obligation to have an independent examination. Charities with an income exceeding £ 500,000 should have a full audit (source: http://www.acie.org.uk). We are most likely going to be in the first category for our first year of operation, so we will align ourselves with the other chapters and have our finances checked by qualified AiduMakers.

Do over 90% of the funds donated really go into school fees?

Yes, at least 90% of the funds donated by AiduMakers go to school fees. Fundraising and administrative costs are covered by infrastructure sponsors. In the event that we lose our infrastructure sponsors at the global level in the future, the founders of Aiducation International have agreed that at least 90% of future donated funds should be dedicated to scholarships.

How do you handle variations in school fees and currency?

One scholarship is £1,500 or 1,600 EUR, i.e., about 180,000 Kenyan Shillings. This is the average cost for 4 years of secondary education. However, fees can vary from school to school and year to year and currency issues also play a role. If the amount paid by the AiduMaker (£1,500) is higher than the actual fee charged by the school, the excess amount is transferred to a fund. If the amount is less than the actual fee, the scholarship is topped up with money from the fund. The fund is entirely dedicated to finance Aiducation's charitable purposes. We can, therefore, keep our promise that over 90% of funds donated by AiduMakers go toward the education of high-potential students in Kenya

How do you make sure that you do not award two scholarships to the same person?

Our team in Kenya is responsible for ensuring that 2 scholarships are not given to the same student. Every applicant is tracked in a database – once he get’s confirmed by an AiduMaker he has no longer “seeking” status. Finally, the 1-1 relationship ensures that every scholar addresses the progress reports to one specific AiduMaker – he or she can never report to two AiduMakers.

IS my personal data secure with Aiducation? Who has access to the data base?

Only very few Aiducators have access to personal data. The data is secure and will not be published - not even your name!

How do you ENSURE the student's security? Keywords: misuse of power, data safety?

We explain to the students that they have no obligation to Aiducation International or the donors whatsoever except to complete their schooling successfully. Direct contact between an AiduMaker and an AiduFellow is restricted and detailed contact information is not released to the AiduMaker. 

Is the money transferred to the student or directly to the schools?

In order to keep abuse to a minimum, the money for the fees is transferred directly to the school. Thanks to the various cash prizes Aiducation has won in the past year, our administration costs are covered so that at least 90% of the donations can go towards school fees.

Why did you choose Kenya and not another country (where the people are even more needy)?

There are several special reasons we chose Kenya to start.

1. The organization was originally born in Kenya: Kenyans saw the necessity for this type of work and, therefore, founded the organization. A second country will follow soon.

2. The Kenyan education system fits perfectly into our concept: primary school is free of charge and accessible to everyone, while high school (secondary school) is not accessible to about 40% of students each year, simply because of financial reasons. After high school, there are university loans from the government for the top 10% of each year’s class, but a similar loan system does not exist for secondary school. Furthermore, the country conducts standardized national exams after primary school and secondary school and the results are published. This allows a comparison of the academic performance of students. We expect that more than 50% of our students will end up among the top 10% of their class and will, therefore, be eligible for government-funded university loans and scholarships.

3. Kenya is an NGO hub: Kenya is - by African standards - politically and economically stable and has developed into THE place to be for NGOs in Africa. Leading NGOs have an office in Nairobi which is, after New York and Geneva, the United Nations’ most important location. It is from here that all missions and projects regarding Africa are planned and transacted.

4. Kenya is stable and, by African standards, democratic. The last elections were deemed open and fair, even though the unrest of January 2008 was quite serious. In the end, the strike had a positive outcome, as the democratic vote of the people prevailed which is a positive sign and we think that democracy in Kenya will continue to grow and flourish.

5. Kenya has economic potential: Kenya has a large economic potential, because of the access to the Indian Ocean, from where many western African countries to are supplied. The Ocean enables easy access to the world market!

6. Kenya invests in education:The Kenyan government and society at large is aware of the necessity of education: about 30% of government spending goes into the education sector (and only 5% to the military!). The money is generally used to expand access to primary schools, since access to primary schools has been free of charge since 2003.

Why don't you support university students or primary-school students, why only students in secondary school?

The education system in Kenya has a classical bottleneck. After free primary school, many students in Kenya are unable to pay the school fees to go to secondary school. Consequently, many of them drop out and are, therefore, denied an education and a future. After secondary school, 10% of the best students of each year receive loans from the governments so they are able to attend university.

We only support high potentials and, therefore, estimate that about 50% of our students will be able to receive these government loans. (Please note that right now we do not support students after high school, but we are considering introducing scholarships for university.) With our merit-based high-school scholarships, we help prevent bright and needy students dropping out of the education system at entry to secondary school. Should a student not receive a government university loan after secondary school, he/she still has better opportunities on the job market than if he/she only has a primary school education. Besides universities, there are other schools providing tertiary education - schools which are cheaper and could be financed through a credit or a loan.

How fair are the grades? Is THE PERFORMANCE EVALUATED TRANSPARENTLY, AND CAN IT BE COMPARED ACROSS THE COUNTRY?

In Kenya there are national standardized exams after primary school and after secondary school. The results are very transparent: not only a ranking of all students is published (we can provide a list of the best primary school students from 2006, and more information can be found on the website of the "Kenya National Examinations Council http://www.examscouncil.or.ke/index.php), but there is also a school ranking.

How high are the school fees really?

1. School fees vary a lot between schools (by a factor of 3).
2. They also vary between the school years (by a factor of 2).
3. 400 Euro/ 600CHF is the average.
4. If student A has lower fees, student B with higher fees is financed with the remainder of the scholarship of student A.

Don't you have any girls?

The AiduMaker can choose whether he/she wants to award the scholarship to a girl or a boy. If all the girls have already been awarded a scholarship, we offer to contact him/her as soon as we receive a high-quality application from a female student.

Can I directly communicate DIRECTLY with the aidufellow that I have awarded the scholarship to?

In contrast to other organizations, we discourage direct contact between student and AiduMaker for the following reasons:

1. The students get sidetracked.
2. This is a lot of work (the students often do not have a telephone, email, or mailing address);
3. Scholars live in a poor part of the world. They are exposed to serious diseases, they may come from families with problems, and they are also frequently exposed to death. Direct contact might prompt the scholars to ask for any further assistance they may need due to the problems they and/or their families may face. We would like to avoid our students asking for additional financial assistance as our AiduMakers are already doing a great job. Direct help would not reflect our principle of meritocracy and we would also have no way of ensuring that the money gets to where it is needed most.

No, the scholarship remains the same. In rare cases we prefinance students and we have to recoup these expenses. All extra money goes into a pool and more scholarships are financed from this pool. In total, over 90% of the scholarship money is always invested in school fees.