ACORN Kenya Member Profile: Florence Akinyi

ACORN Kenya Member Profile: Florence Akinyi

I live in the village of Kisumu Ndogo in the Korogocho slum in Nairobi.  I am on the board of our local chapter. I joined ACORN Kenya in June 2009.  I heard about a meeting about education and went to the meeting.  After the meeting I talked to one of the organizers and joined because the education campaign was going to help the entire community. With our education campaign we are fighting so that our community can access the government bursaries that are suppose to support poor parents that can’t afford  school fees.  My 11 year old son use to attend an informal schools, we had to pay 300SH for school fees plus 10sh a day for food, plus 70 shillings for each exam they write, plus books.  I didn’t receive and bursary from the government.  Through ACORN I realized that I needed to have my son in the formal schools so he can access higher education.  But the fees in the formal schools are even higher.  ACORN helped me apply for the bursary to cover the fees. I was able to apply because ACORN members fault and won a new structure of dispersing the application forms from the bursary committee. The bursary committee now has people right in korogocho that distribute the forms.   The fees for the formal school include 500sh for admission, plus 500sh for a desk, plus 750sh a year for food, plus books.  I am waiting for the bursary right now.  With ACORN we need to grow as an organization and need more members so that we can be even stronger!


en_USEnglish