At our October 26th meeting, African education advocate Brett Weiss delivered another inspirational message focused on creating a lasting impact for the children of Kenya. His organization, AscendKenya (formerly the Weiss Scholarship Foundation), is dedicated to empowering Kenyan children through education and breaking generational cycles of poverty.
The organization has set an ambitious goal of awarding 100 new scholarships by the end of this year—an increase of more than 30 over last year. Weiss highlighted the inspiring achievements of past scholarship recipients who have grown into community leaders, entrepreneurs, plumbers, teachers, and cybersecurity and financial professionals. In a region where most children drop out of school by the fourth grade and young girls rarely have the chance to attend at all, these students beat the odds and graduated from high school thanks to the sustained support of AscendKenya.
“These are the poorest of the poor... AscendKenya offers a future and hope through a holistic business model, making sure we are doing everything possible to help our students be successful.”
— Brett Weiss, Founder of AscendKenya
“These are the poorest of the poor,” Weiss shared with Rotarians, describing the harsh conditions students face daily—eating dirt to stave off hunger, living without electricity or running water, receiving minimal medical care, scavenging for food, facing threats of human trafficking, or living with AIDS contracted from parents. AscendKenya steps in with hope and tangible opportunity through a holistic model designed to ensure every child has the comprehensive backing needed to thrive academically and personally.
Weiss outlined several pathways to support the mission, including sponsoring an individual child, a family, or an entire school. Having presented to more than 300 Rotary clubs across the country over the past few years, Weiss noted that he remains continually inspired by the resilience and determination shown by these young scholars.
🎥 Watch Lewis's Journey: Discover the story of Lewis Okoth Otieno and his inspiring path from Kenya to Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois.
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