FAQs about Sponsoring a Student

I've had some questions about sponsoring a student. Here is my best shot at answering them:


Q: How much does it cost to sponsor a student?
A: $300 a year

Q: Do you have to pay it all at once?
A: Not at all! Bryan and I pay it in clumps. You can pay $25 a month, $100 every few months, or however you want to break it up.

Q: Does the full $300 go to the student?
A: Yes. Koins doesn't take any overhead (meaning there are no paid employees of Koins), nor does it go to any other project of Koins. The $300 goes directly to the headmaster of the Mnyenzeni Secondary School to pay the tuition for the student.

Q: How are the scholarship students chosen?
A: There are more students in need of scholarships than are available. Because not every student in need of one can receive a scholarship (sponsor), the students are chosen based on their academic achievement. If they have a good record in school, they have a better chance of receiving a sponsor.

Q: Can I correspond with my student?
A: Yes, in fact, Koins strongly encourages it. Bryan and I get letters from Elizabeth every few months attached to her term grades. She is currently #1 in her class! I have sent a few letters to her, telling her about my life, how I feel about her hard work, and included pictures of us.

Q: When I commit to sponsor a student, is it for the rest of their education?
A: No, when you commit to sponsor a student, you are committing to one year, so $300. If your student still has years of secondary school left, you can choose to either continue sponsoring or not. There is no pressure at all, Koins appreciates every contribution, and the students appreciate every year of school.

Q: Why is sponsoring a student so important?
A: No one actually asked this question, and hopefully you know the answer. But just in case...
From grades 9-12, school is not free in Kenya. Many students must drop out of school after 8th grade because their families do not have the $300 a year to continue their education. When a student drops out, they say good bye to any dream they had of living a better life than their parents. At the age of 13, the drop-out forfeits his future of becoming somebody great who can make a difference, to a future of scraping by day after day.
When you sponsor a student, you are providing the opportunity for another human being to live her dream.
What if everything you have now was taken away because you couldn't come up with $300. This is exactly what's happening to so many children.

Does that answer the question? :)

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, click here.