Saskatoon, Saskatchewan – After traveling on a life-changing trip to Kenya in July 2013, PotashCorp employees pooled their own funds to raise $5,000 for a student’s tuition at the Kisaruni All Girls Secondary School. The employees then applied to PotashCorp’s employee matching gift program for the remaining $5,000, for a total of $10,000 – enough to fund one Kenyan student for the full four years of her secondary school education.

“After returning from Kenya, the opportunity for our entire group to assist a young student in fulfilling her dreams of obtaining an education starting with her high school diploma will not only help her and her family, but provide our group with a bond that will last a lifetime,” said Aaron Fornwald, PotashCorp’s Senior Director, Human Resources. 

In February 2014, the name of the grade nine student receiving funding was announced. Beatrice Mokora is from Salabwek community and is particularly interested in her academic studies and eventually becoming a doctor. The selection process to be accepted as a student at Kisaruni is rigorous. The chosen students are highly committed to their academic studies and by all accounts they cannot wait to give back to their communities.

"Meeting the amazing students of Kisaruni was a moment none of us will ever forget. Their passion for, pride in and commitment to their education was overwhelming. The girls give their all in everything they do and it just felt natural to want to support them. $10,000 seems like a large amount, but just as the Free The Children philosophy has proven time and time again, when you get a group together anything is possible. We are very fortunate to have PotashCorp's matching gift program to back us up. We are all proud of this initiative and look forward to receiving updates from Beatrice for years to come," said Chantelle Ollivier, Administration Superintendent of PotashCorp’s Rocanville Division.

Founded by the international charity Free The Children, Kisaruni All Girls Secondary School furthers the education and leadership of young Maasai and Kipsigis women and focuses on collaborative learning. Investing in the education of girls is a proven method of breaking the cycle of poverty in developing countries, especially when the students return to their own communities afterwards with a profession. In Kenya, the opportunity for continued education for girl students is challenged by early marriages, domestic obligations, family finances and inadequate access to secondary schools.

PotashCorp is the founding partner of the Agriculture and Food Security pillar of Free The Children’s established Adopt a Village development model across all eight countries where the charity operates. The company also directly supports six communities (two in Kenya, two in India and two in China) on agriculture initiatives. This includes creating sustainable gardens that provide students with nutritious meals at schools such as Kisaruni.