Tenda Wema - 2026 Edition is Here: 26/09/2026

Tenda Wema is Mizizi Elimu Afrika’s collective call to action, a simple yet powerful commitment to ensure that no child is invisible in the fight for education. Unlike conventional scholarship programmes that prioritise academic performance, Tenda Wema intentionally focuses on children and youth who are most vulnerable, overlooked, and at risk of being permanently left behind, including Persons with Disabilities.

We believe that access to education is not a reward for performance, but a fundamental right. Tenda Wema exists to make that right a reality. The need is urgent. Every year a child is out of school increases the likelihood of permanent exclusion. Your action today can change that trajectory.

In 2012, while conducting national research on education and ethnic minority communities in Kenya, we encountered the Sanye community, a people so deeply marginalised that not a single child from their community had ever completed primary school. Moved by urgency and empathy, we enrolled 10 children, beginning what became known as the “forest children” journey. Today, two of those children have completed secondary school, and two schools constructed by government right in the forest, milestones that have since re-written history for future generations.

Tenda Wema had a quiet yet steady start. Fueled by the spirit of Ubuntu and the power of everyday giving, we breathed new life into the initiative through a dedicated team of volunteer champions in 2021. 6 years down the line, we have continued paying kindness forward, slowly yet steadily, one (or two) children at a time.