In 2011, the bank rolled out a university scholarship and internship program targeting 28 students from poor family backgrounds each year who had excelled in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE). The scholarship is renewable for up to 6 years of undergraduate study depending on the course. Approximately 28 students are receiving this scholarship each year at a public or private university in Kenya approved by the Commission of Higher Education.

The workshop was part of the mentorship program funded by the MoneyGram Foundation through a grant of Ksh 5 million where 350 beneficiaries underwent career counseling and mentorship training.

“I really appreciate. The sessions were great and provided a forum for a lot of learning and interaction. I have learned a lot and I will always be grateful to Co-op Foundation for making me who I am and continuing to build me into becoming a great person,” said one of the participants.

Currently, the Co-op Foundation has supported approximately 4,825 students with school fees in secondary schools across Kenya and an additional 196 students in various universities, with over Ksh 600 million from the bank’s profits since 2007 allocated for the purpose of improving education.

Having undergone orientation on the bank’s operations, the students have so far signed their terms of engagement with the bank and have been posted to various bank branches for a three month internship as they wait to join university.