Since 1997

One scholarship at a time, for twenty-eight years

Growth Through Learning is a secular 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We pay for the secondary education of exceptional young women in East Africa who have earned their place at school but cannot afford to keep it.

Who we are

Founded in 1997, Growth Through Learning (GTL) is a secular organization that supports education and development in East Africa by providing full secondary education scholarships for exceptional young women in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.

Our Vision

A world where all women receive the education they need to realize their own potential and fulfill their aspirations for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Why this work matters

Girls in East Africa face significant barriers including forced early marriages, child pregnancy, and disproportionately high HIV/AIDS infection rates. Keeping girls in school longer protects them from these harms.

What we believe

A scholarship is not charity. It is arithmetic.

We pay for all of it

Tuition, uniforms, exam fees, books, supplies, room and board. A partial scholarship leaves a girl with a gap she still cannot close, so we do not offer one.

We choose on merit and need

Our scholars have already proven themselves in primary school. What stands between them and a diploma is money, not ability.

We stay until she graduates

A scholarship covers the full four years of secondary school. Our country coordinators visit the schools and know every scholar by name.

We keep overhead low

We are a small organisation by design. Our Form 990 filings are published in full — see the Impact page for every year since 2010.

Milestones

How we got here

1997 Growth Through Learning is founded A secular 501(c)(3) is established in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a single purpose: pay for girls in East Africa to finish secondary school.
1998 The first diplomas Our first scholars graduate. The counter that now reads in the thousands starts here.
2003 Kenya makes primary school free Enrolment surges — and the secondary bottleneck becomes the defining barrier for rural girls. Our work sharpens around it.
2008 Expansion into Uganda We begin sponsoring girls from the remote Karamajong region at boarding schools in Kampala and Entebbe.
2015 Tanzania joins the programme Tanzania lowers secondary fees, but transport, uniforms, and materials still keep most girls at home. We move in to cover what the reform left behind.
Today Fifteen partner schools, three countries More than 2,400 diplomas awarded and counting, with scholars now working as nurses, teachers, and engineers across the region.

Eligibility

How scholars are chosen

Selection is handled by our country coordinators together with partner schools and local communities. Candidates are assessed on four things:

Demonstrated academic achievement in primary school
Genuine financial need, verified locally
Admission to, or eligibility for, one of our partner secondary schools
Commitment to completing the full four years of study

Sponsor a scholar