Gold Coast non bank Mortgage Ezy are helping kids in Kenya to find their way out of poverty by offering direct education intervention for 12 students to help them complete their schooling.
The scheme saw the lender forego Christmas presents and parties in favour of donating their costs to scholarships in Kenya, money that will now fund 12 high school students’ education.
“We’ve got students at high school level who are having financial difficulties completing their education,” said Winnie Masibo, a project manager at Mortgage Ezy who is originally from Kenya. “It’s a mixture of boys and girls, different locations, different schools, so we’ll pay for their fees all the way to the end of high school, which takes about four years.”
The money is now being put to good use, as eight girls and four boys in Kenya are at boarding schools that can cost as much as $1,500 a year to attend. A team of volunteers assisted in selection and ensured that the children’s needs were met.
“There was one boy, for example, that just didn’t have appropriate clothes,” said Mortgage Ezy CEO Peter James. “There’s others who didn’t have books; they couldn’t afford the textbooks and supplies. There’s other kids that have had some emotional upsets and so forth.”
“So it’s just about identifying the need and intervening to make sure they’ve got the best chance of success in their schooling. “Our philosophy has been whatever we need to do to support the child staying in school and prospering in their studies we’re willing to consider ... what I’m excited about is to make a difference in these kids’ lives.”
James told Australian Broker that Winnie Masibo, who came to Australia to study at Macquarie University and now works at Mortgage Ezy, was an inspiration to the kids enrolled in the scheme.
“They’re seeing her as a great role model, and what is possible. You know I’m sure that some will even rise above the levels of Winnie, but she’s an inspiration.”
Read the full story in Australian Broker magazine which is available from 19 April.
