Many children across Africa and Asia struggle to finance an education that would enable them to achieve their full potential. But in the last few years, our donors have allowed numerous children to access a top education and a residential experience which has given them opportunities they could never have expected.

Maxwin Ojwang is one such student. Maxwin was one of 82 students in his class at Maweni Primary School on the North Coast near Kongowea market, Mombasa. His father had recently lost his job and his teachers feared that he would drop out of school. He lived with his brothers in two rooms in part of a house shared by several families in the Kongowea slum. He was amongst the first eight girls and boys selected in 2009 under the Talent Identification Programme, funded by donations. Six and a half years later at his graduation ceremony, he received the Aga Khan Academy Award of Excellence. He earned a full Mastercard Scholarship to study engineering at the University of Toronto and has since graduated. He is committed to returning to Kenya to help bring improvements to his home community and country.

Maxwin’s Senior School principal says of him: “Coming from modest means and part of our Talent Identification Programme, Maxwin’s humble and unassuming style makes him approachable and an inspiration to all, making us believe that one can overcome life’s obstacles. In many ways, this young man has been the maker of his own destiny. A dedicated researcher and scientist, this student completed his extended essay in world studies, looking at the relationship between agricultural productivity and household income in his local community.”