Sponsorships are the most important part of our project. Through sponsorships, the children of very poor families obtain an opportunity for good education and thus a better life. More than a third of the approx. 2,200 children at Mekaela Academies are currently enjoying a scholarship or a sponsorship through Watoto or other charities. Due to that circumstance, we managed to integrate Mekaela Academies into society, rather than just creating elite schools for better-off families. This is how children may obtain a sponsorship: The parents submit an application form, on which they agree to the terms and conditions of sponsorship. After the school’s management has approved it the form is sent to Germany where Watoto places the child on the waiting list until we find a sponsor for them.
Direct Sponsorship
Support a child directly with an one-on-one sponsorship
Hamsini Programme Share a sponsorship for a child with several sponsors
999 Programme Give support anonymously to needy families for school fees
It is easy to become a sponsor: Just click on the button “Sponsor a Child” and send your declaration to us directly. If you which to have a downloadable form which you can print, email or fax, please click here. We prefer to collect sponsorships fees by direct debit, but payments by standing order are also possible. Watoto e.V. issues a tax certificate for your donation. As our administrative and advertising costs are covered specifically by designated donations from our members, all donations are forwarded to the schools and the children with no deductions.
At the beginning of each term, Watoto transfers due amounts for school fees to Kenya. During the year, we receive copies of the children’s report books as well as their letters to the sponsors and pictures which we forward to the sponsors. To keep our administration lean and free of charge, we generally send these documents as well as tax receipts once at the end of the year. Nevertheless every sponsor may always inquire with Watoto about the status of his protégé.
If a child’s performance drops below the level of 50% in three consecutive terms, the sponsorship may be withdrawn. There are good reasons for this: A significant drop in the performance usually indicates that the family has lost interest in the education of their child, thus reducing the likelihood that the child will finish primary school level or even secondary, let alone join university.On the other hand, dozens of families are desperately waiting for sponsorship for their child, and they are perfectly willing to work hard for such an opportunity. For their sake, it just wouldn’t be fair to block the way into a better future.
We do not think a sponsorship should relieve parents of all financial burden. Some sort of contribution should be paid by parents, too, no matter how small it might be. As a rule, we expect parents of sponsored children to pay for exam and activity fees which amount to less than 5 Euros a month.
And one other important suggestion: Every donor should be aware that with the beginning of a sponsorship the child’s and its parents’ hopes are raised by the prospects of a better life through good education. Although Watoto has set up an emergency fund to cater for cases of hardship, every donor carries a large responsibility for the sponsored child. Thus, a sponsorship should only be undertaken with the clear intention of following it through to the end of the child’s education, even for several years.
Sponsoring through Watoto (valid for school year 2023) |
Euro (*) per year |
|
Babyclass and Kindergarten (includes school fees and basical medical coverage) |
320,00 | |
Primary School: Day School (Basic) (includes school fees and basical medical coverage) |
290,00 | |
Primary School: Day School (Classic) (includes school fees and basical medical coverage) |
400,00 | |
Junior Secondary School: Tagesschule (includes school fees and basical medical coverage) |
510,00 | |
Additional option: school bus | 180,00 | |
Additional option: lunch and morning snacks | 180,00 | |
Additional option: school books (primary ) | 50,00 | |
Additional option: school books (secondary ) | 120,00 | |
Additional option: school uniform ( 2 sets) and shoes | 60,00 | |
Additional option: excursions | 60,00 | |
Boarding: Primary School (mandatory for Std. 8) (includes books, school uniforms and shoes) |
1.090,00 | |
Boarding: Junior Secondary School (includes books, school uniforms and shoes) |
1.290,00 | |
Boarding: Senior Secondary School (includes books, school uniforms and shoes) |
1.390,00 | |
(*) | We are assuming a Euro exchange rate of KES 120/= for 2023. That rate is usually lower than actual rate for fees converted from Euro into KES. The lower rate provides a safety margin against the volatility of the KES. Any surplus Watoto e.V. might obtain from better exchange rates will be allocated to the emergency fund (e.g. for terminated sponsorships). |
Micki Wentzel is in charge for sponsorships at Watoto. She maintains communication between the donors, the schools and Watoto. Any inquiries may be directed to Micki (click here), so if you wish to obtain further information about a possible sponsorship, please contact her by email.
Become a Hamsini Sponsor Many people who know our project would like to offer sustained help, but find it difficult to meet the conditions of a full sponsorship. We developed the “Hamsini” programme to enable people to support our children in Kenya with a good conscience and without obligation. Only 50 Euros per year to provide sustained support for a child. That is where the name of the programme was derived from – Hamsini means “fifty” in Kisuaheli. The donations of several sponsors are cumulated to help financing a full scholarship for a child at Mekaela Academies. The exact amount which is required to pay for a full scholarship depends on several factors, i.e. the neediness of the family or the school-class of a pupil. The annual cost vary between 300 Euros for a day school in the primary section to 1000 Euros for secondary school boarding. Although sponsors of Hamsini may not decide which child will receive a scholarship and to what extent, they still know which child is being supported with their contribution, and they may keep themselves informed about the child on the internet. For that purpose we provide a password protected area on our server where we keep historical information about the child such as photos, school reports, letters and all other meaningful and current information which might be of interest for the child’s sponsors. Hamsini offers the option of setting a fixed expiration date when the support will end automatically. You may of course join the Hamsini programme without fixing an expiration date in advance, and naturally your support may exceed the amount of 50 Euros, too. You may cancel your support at any time without providing a specific reason. Watoto e.V. will not be able to provide personal information directly or other customer services to the sponsors of the Hamsini programme.
Just 8 Euros a month will enable low income families to send their children to our schools. Many Kenyans would very much like to send their children to one of our schools and would also be willing to pay school fees for it, but unfortunately the income situation in Kenya is not such that a waiter or a cook could send a child to a public school, let alone more than one. Many of our parents are in this situation. They know the value of good education and would do everything to give their children a better future, but often the income is not enough even if both parents work, or they fall a bit short. We support these parents with our “999 Programme”. Through this programme, we subsidise school fees so that parents only have to pay 999 Shillings (about 8 Euros) a month. Naturally, the difference between 999 Shilling and the actual monthly costs has to come from somewhere, of course. Watoto e.V. has set a budget of EUR 30,000 per year to be used to support such low-income families. It is possible to donate directly to the 999 Programme, and donations which are not allocated for a specific project or the emergency fund also contribute to the programme.