Education support is one of the core services that RefugePoint’s Urban Refugee Protection Program offers to its clients in Nairobi, Kenya. This vital component of support is not only crucial for children to attain an education, it also enables refugee families to engage in livelihoods and other activities aimed at boosting their self-reliance.
Nzinga, a mother of nine, fled the civil war in Congo with her family and arrived in Kenya in 2015. Determined to give her children an education, she engaged in a small business selling African fabric and bags. With the small income she earned, she was able to enroll some of her children, including her son Olivier*, in school.
Even though life was difficult back at home, Olivier was determined to perform better than all the other students in his class.
“I performed very well in mathematics and English and got 395 marks out of 500 and was the third student overall in my school in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE),” says Olivier.
“I remember being very anxious the day the KCPE results were released. I wanted to know how I had performed and what marks I had attained. That evening, my sister dialed the USSD code to check my results and I couldn’t believe it! I was very happy! I didn’t even sleep! My whole family was happy and we stayed awake long into the night celebrating the results,” recalls Olivier.
Olivier is one of the many refugee children performing exceptionally well in school. However, due to a lack of scholarship opportunities, many like Olivier fail to move onto secondary school or higher education where they can pursue their studies. “I am hopeful that I’ll get someone to assist me to further my education. I want to become an accountant or a lawyer when I complete my studies,” Olivier shared with us.
In his free time, Olivier enjoys listening to the piano, which he says is his favorite instrument. “I have never actually played one, but I like the sound of it, and I think I would really enjoy playing it,” says Olivier with a smile on his face.
*Name changed for protection purposes.