This archive report was first published on 27 November 2019.
On November 27, 2019, Oserian Development Company made history by offering full secondary school scholarships to eight top candidates from two primary schools within its farm.
The eight students, six boys and two girls, studied at the Oserian Primary school, a public institution, and the private wing, Hilltop Primary.
Churchill Omondi, the top boy, scored 424 marks, claiming a position among the top 500 candidates nationally. The second boy scored 419, while the third girl scored 398.
According to Mary Kinyua, Oserian's director of administration, the good performance is a strong indicator of the need to introduce a countrywide school feeding programme to keep children nourished and focused on their studies.
Ms. Kinyua's sentiments were echoed by headmaster Simon Mr. Mwangi, who attributed the success of the Oserian school feeding programme to reduced absenteeism and increased energy among students.
The school feeding programme and the scholarships are managed through FairTrade, which identified the needs as a means to support pupils to pursue education and ease the burden on parents.
Joseph Njoroge, the representative of the Oserian-FairTrade Joint Body, added that the feeding programme has had a significant impact on the community, with students staying on for preps because they are not hungry.
The scholarships will cover university education for the top three students of Oserian High school, who will also have the opportunity to work at the farm if they wish after college.
