WISH LIST $100: books and supplies for 2 students for 1 year; $500: tuition, room, board, and school supplies for 1 year; $2000: an entire high school education for 1 student

Since their families move frequently to find grazing for livestock, Kenyan youngsters must leave home and study in boarding schools if they are to study at all – no mean feat when their families earn less than $300 a year. The Nomadic Kenyan Children’s Educational Fund identifies high-potential high school students who desperately need assistance in paying for school, which costs from $400 to $800 a year (secondary school is not government-funded in Kenya). Educating girls is a high priority because going to school means postponing marriage – girls are often married just at puberty in return for valuable cows and goats, and to reduce the family’s food burden – and this can raise the level of opportunity for the whole family. A single educated person, boy or girl, can also serve as an invaluable village resource, as reader, as negotiator in markets, as someone who can work for the betterment of his or her people in a rapidly changing world. You can help a child help herself – and a whole village too.

Rebecca Hudecek, President PO Box 7015 McLean, VA 22106 703-790-8238 www.nkcef.org