Women Of Vision Education iNitiative
Lighting a path out of poverty by nurturing future female leaders through university scholarships, mentorship & coaching programs.
This program is designed to provide access to higher education for students from low-income and underrepresented communities, as well as to provide the life skills and mental health counseling needed to succeed as they transition into the job market.
Designed to ensure continuity for top performing beneficiaries from our high school program, the WOVEN program is an all rounded project aimed at producing impactful women leaders and lighting a pathway to gainful employment
THIS PROGRAM PROVIDES:
Full university fee payment
Monthly support funds
Semester-wide school supplies
Full living accommodation in university dorms or private rental apartments
Life skills mentorship
Mental Health counseling – both individual and group sessions
Career guidance
Business development skils
95%
95% of our WOVEN students responded they find our mentorship program valuable
94%
94% of our 100 WOVEN Students were passing all classes at the end of 2024
78%
78% of our students who completed our university program are currently employed
While overall participation in the the Kenyan job market between men and women is almost the same, the gap in the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty is significant. According to the World Bank, 69% of Kenyan women in the job market are employed in vulnerable employment which is defined as temporary or informal work such as house help, day labor, street hawking, etc. That is 16.8% higher than men in the Kenyan job market.
Our program transforms the average low pay opportunities for talented young women into professional career opportunities across the science, business, arts, tourism and civil service industries as well as others in Kenya.
WOVEN Graduating Class 2023
Cecelia, WOVEN Student
Kenyatta University - Nursing
The Starting Point: Cecilia’s early life was defined by struggle. Raised in rural poverty, she faced a series of devastating blows: the loss of her brother to suicide, the withdrawal of her father's financial support, and a crumbling academic future. Yet, where others might have given up, Cecilia found a lifeline through the Light Up Hope scholarship.
A Turning Point: Despite ongoing family challenges, mentorship and the Light Up Hope community helped Cecilia build the resilience needed to focus on her studies.
Academic Success: She excelled in high school, and graduated at the top of her class, securing entrance into the highly competitive nursing program at Kenyatta University in Nairobi.
Professional Achievement: She graduated with a B.Sc. in Nursing and Public Health from Kenyatta University and is now a nurse intern at Murang’a Level 5 Hospital, earning KES 70,000 monthly (a comfortable lifestyle in Nairobi).
Entrepreneurship: Cecilia also launched a sustainable rabbit farming venture that generates an additional KES 10,000 monthly and produces organic manure for family crops.
Family Impact: The business has restored food security for her family; for the first time in a decade, they are harvesting substantial yields of maize and beans.
Empowering Others: Her father now manages the farm’s daily operations—which helped him secure NGO employment—while Cecilia mentors other students from humble backgrounds.
Legacy: Today, Cecilia is a nurse and environmental advocate, proving how targeted educational support creates self-reliant professionals and community change-makers.
Breaking the Cycle: The generational chain of poverty has finally been broken. One year post graduation, her income is a remarkable 13X her father’s income.
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