Elimisha Kakuma

Elimisha Kakuma was founded in 2021 by Mary Maker, Diing Manyang, Dudi Miabok, and Deirdre Hand.  Mary, Diing, and Dudi had all grown up in Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya and, like so many others in the camp, viewed higher education as the best path toward improving their own futures and those of their communities. But in the camp, access to higher education is extremely limited - without full scholarships, residents have no chance of continuing their education, and the number of scholarships is vanishingly small (see this report for details about college access). The three managed to enroll in a college-access program in Rwanda (which has since stopped taking refugees). There, they met their teacher (and VT alum) Deirdre Hand.  In 2021, when Mary was a student at St. Olaf, Diing at George Washington University, and Dudi at Harvard, and Deirdre was teaching English as a Second Language in Washington, D.C., they together created Elimisha Kakuma as a way to promote access to higher education in Kakuma.

Since taking the first cohort of students in spring 2021, Elimisha Kakuma has grown and has many successes. It is a highly selective program - less than 3% of applicants could be accepted for Cohort 5 - and very rigorous. Students are taught by the cofounders and international scholars (including some from VT) to prepare them for the college classroom, and guided through the college application process (with assistance from VT students). All 47 students from cohorts 1-4 were accepted with funding at schools in the US, Canada, the UK, Kenya, the Czech Republic, and Costa Rica, with scholarships totaling over $8 million. 

Although EK and CRMDS are separate entities, we work very closely together.  It has become the premier partnership of the Center.

Our collaborations include:

• Deirdre Hand (Community Outreach Specialist) is a co-founder of EK and Academic Director
• Brett Shadle (Director) is Advisor for Internal Affairs and member of the Academic team
• Over 25 VT students have volunteered as tutors with EK
• CRMDS hosts quarterly EK Leadership Team meetings
• EK students have taken part in VT classes, where they co-produced two research reports
• With support from the Cranwell Family Foundation, the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences, the College of Science, the Pamplin College of Business, and the Stamps Scholarship, 3 EK students have matriculated at VT
• Special edition of Roots & Resettlement by EK students