Globally, there are over 263 million children and young people not in school, plus 330 million in school not learning. A lack of schools, chronic underperformance, teacher shortage and poor materials means that children often have little chance of escaping the cycle of poverty into which they were born.

Due to many failing or weak public education systems in low or middle income countries, parents are increasingly choosing alternative education options for their children.  It is estimated that there are over two million children attending low-cost schools in Kenya alone. 1 in 4 African children (66 million) are expected to be privately educated by 2021.

Parents are exercising choice and turning away from often costly public school education options that are foreclosing their children’s futures before they’ve begun. They want to ensure their children have a quality education because they believe that a good education is the way to a better life for their children and their families.  Yet, in underserved communities they can sometimes struggle to consistently meet even the most affordable of school fees.

The Global Fund for Emerging Scholars is a response to this challenge. The U.S. non-profit aims to help African parents access good schools by providing sponsored primary school places for children living in poverty. It’s focus is on ensuring pupils in sub-Saharan Africa have an opportunity to attend a school where they can really learn and go on to pursue their dreams. It’s what every child deserves, and what any individual can help make a reality through sponsorship.

A spokesperson for Global Fund for Emerging Scholars said: “The Fund aims to ensure that children are able to reach their potential through a sponsored school place. We want to live in a world where the socio-economic background of a child isn’t a barrier to them achieving their potential. Bridge is well placed to help us achieve our mission.”

Children, like Roseline Sein (above) are among those benefiting from this kind of support. Her mum is a single parent who runs a small stall in Kiserian, Kajiado County, Kenya. Roseline has an older sister and the income her mum gets is just enough to put food on the table. She loves Bridge International Academies (Bridge), especially her science classes and says that going there has given her hope for her future. When she grows up she wants to be a lawyer so she ‘can fight for Justice’.

Global Fund for Emerging Scholars seeks to partner with education providers who work with them to identify children in the developing world unable to access school places. Bridge is proud to have been selected as the non-profits’ inaugural partner.

A spokesperson for Bridge International Academies said, “We are delighted to enter into this new partnership with the Global Fund for Emerging Scholars. Together we will be helping to turn around the lives of individuals, giving them a far brighter future. We are inviting people all around the world to make a tangible change to a young person’s life, because when a child is given access to a quality school, they can break a generational cycle of poverty and look forward to a better life.”

To sponsor a child and change the life of a child like Roseline, donate via the Global Fund for Emerging Scholars.