A Wholesome Educational Experience - A Thoughtful School Pack!

Why are students with full-ride scholarships experiencing hardships in school, with some even dropping out? 

At The Arc Light, we periodically review our social mission programs to measure impact. When we reviewed our just concluded scholarship program, (visit our homepage to track your impact) we were shocked at how narrow-minded we had been! By paying school fees, we thought that we had fully empowered kids and had met all their educational needs! In addition to paying tuition, these kids are still required to have proper school uniforms, school shoes, personal supplies and stationery— a cost that falls back on struggling parents. Help break the cycle of poverty today; purchase a Scholars' School Pack and Transform a Life! 

To show our appreciation for your support, we'll send out a Light Box to every supporter of the Scholar School Pack. Included in your Light Box is a beaded glass water bottle, 3 fabric-bound hardcover notebooks in assorted vibrant prints, and a homeware/ lifestyle item from our range. If you don't want your Light Box, you are free to simply support a student. Alternatively, instead of the Light Box, a supporter may choose one of our trendy backpacks. For the backpacks, please contact us for production run timelines :)

The moment you lend your support, you will instantly receive an update. We shall also send you a photo, video and bio of the student whose life you impacted, including the name and details of their school, and the contact details (phone number & email) of the principal or contact person in that school. Feel free to reach out to us (shinealight@thearclight.org) if you have any questions or to request for updates. The names of all beneficiaries of our Scholars School Program will be updated on our website. Also, look out for a Thank You card from a kid in Kenya, the owner of the swankiest, freshest and newest school pack in town, and a bright smile to match— all thanks to your generosity.

100% of what you give will go towards the Scholar School Pack.

Scroll through the images to watch the full video and to learn more!

The idea behind our organization- The Arc Light, was to promote cultural appreciation through artisan-made lifestyle and homeware products and to help preserve cultures at risk of erasure. Halfway in, and as best as we could, we started helping out by meeting the needs of members of the community. We offered support by paying school fees, paying medical bills, gifting work tools, planting trees and even cleaning up a river! 

But we haven’t been doing it alone— when we requested for your help, you responded in a mighty way! Together, we were able to raise funds to cover tuition for kids in high school. Your gifts continue to provide unique opportunities to outstanding students as they pursue lifelong dreams. 

Were it not for your help, 14-year-old Lucy would be at home right now. Unable to find funding for school because education was her only chance of success; her future would have consisted of a life of struggle and despair. In Kenya, and in other parts of Africa too, a poor family will send a few children to school while the rest stay at home. Girls, older siblings, relatives supported by extended family and orphans are most likely to be left out. Lucy checks all four. Your commitment was a timely intervention.  

You’re a girl who just hit puberty, your family is struggling to provide basic necessities like food, so items such as soap or sanitary products are a luxury and all along, you’ve been told that education provides opportunities and opens doors, but after you join High School, you experience the toughest and most frustrating moments of your life. For students not in boarding schools, and during each and every school day, a long trek to school awaits you; barefoot and in the cold of the morning dew. Then on the way to school one day, you meet some of your age mates who’d dropped out of school. Some are working as casual laborers in nearby farms, others are married, one girl is even pregnant. But all of them seem to be doing better— at least they all have shoes on their feet. So one day you and a few of your friends skip classes to go and work on the farm. Some students return to class the next week while others do not, attracted by the chance to make a little money, or often lured into teenage marriages or promises of what looks like a better life.

You can be enrolled in the best local school that is staffed by awesome and professional teachers, but if there are issues which persistently bug you, affecting your physiological and mental well-being, you will struggle to understand anything in class and you will ultimately underperform academically.

This impact measurement exercise prompted us to write about some of these experiences in reference to the challenges of quality education in Kenya, the solutions, and an overall history of education in Kenya, including notable reforms. 

The joy of conquering stacked-up odds and joining high school soon disappeared for Lucy and the other recipients. Happiness was soon replaced by embarrassment because of wearing worn-out flip-flops or walking barefoot in class, using one notebook for multiple subjects, and carrying course books everywhere by hand because of a lack of a backpack. What’s even more sad is that some of these kids were experiencing menstrual periods for the very first time in their lives and they felt ashamed around their classmates because they had to use small strips of fabric because they didn’t have appropriate menstrual products. Their overall hygiene also suffered because of a lack of basic items such as soap. This emotional distress is taking a toll on their mental health and wellness, even negatively affecting their academics.

This is heartbreaking. Children have a right to a wholesome and safe educational experience and once again, we are asking for help. School staff and local communities are closer to the problem; it made sense for them to define the issue and identify a solution informed by individual needs and local contexts. And through consultations, we were able to arrive at a solution. Our in-house tailor immediately took charge by saying he would design the bags. In his words: a trendy stylish and sturdy backpack will lift anyone’s spirits all day, everyday. As a team, we went to work under one mission: meet this need in a way that demonstrates to these kids that they matter. We wanted to sit them down and say: hey look, you are not what you went through, you’ve already overcome all of those hardships. Those challenges should NEVER be used to describe you. 

This has been the sad plight of Lucy and many others like her, but it doesn’t have to be like this. We need your help today, we are at the start of the school year, so its not yet too late. 

This was the reason behind the Scholars’ School Pack. Save for the store-bought items, the other items in the pack have been designed and made in our studio. This means that 100% of what you give will go towards the Scholar School Pack. Included in each of our packs are: A trendy backpack (the student chooses from the available designs); A year’s supply of school approved stationery (Approximately: 10 pencils, 30 pens in assorted colors, erasers, a geometric set, a fabric pencil case, full ruler, a pair of scissors, 30 A4 notebooks, 5 subject spiral notebooks, a pack of index flashcards, glue stick, highlighters); A pair of leather school shoes; A year’s supply of sanitary pads (where appropriate); 12 pack toilet roll; 2 tubes of toothpaste; 3 toothbrushes; 6 pieces bath soap; A bag of laundry detergent; A jar of hand sanitizer; 2 boxes of face masks; A water bottle and; A $25 yearly stipend.

Just like us, we know that you are passionate about kids and you believe that they have a right to an education, to proper nutrition and to better mental and physical health. No child should lack. Because of your generosity, a girl or boy in Kenya will receive a wholesome and safe worry-free educational experience and improved health, hygiene and mental wellness for an entire year.

Lucy wants to be an educator, she hopes to start a school that offers freely, the same opportunities that she was blessed to receive. She’s been in that situation before; this is personal for her. This is Lucy’s message to you: Thank you for taking the time to understand my struggle, thank you for believing in me and supporting my education. You made a difference in my life.

Transform lives today by purchasing a Scholars’ School Pack.

Thank you for giving. It is because of actions like yours that we are able to guarantee a safe and wholesome educational experience for kids like Lucy. Every penny gets us closer to our goal of providing Scholar School Packs to as many girls and boys as possible. We created a special fundraiser so that our supporters can choose the amount they want to give. Please help us get the word out by sharing the fundraiser widely on your social media and among your family, friends and networks. We really appreciate.

For us, impact investing means investing in people and creating opportunities. Opportunities level out the playing field; opportunities provide hope and contribute to reduced inequalities; opportunities empower communities and promote growth. The root cause of poverty is inequality and a lack of opportunities. Nelson Mandela famously said, “what counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is the difference we made to the lives of others that determines the significance of the life we lead.”

When you invest in positive change, you circulate resources, knowledge and opportunities around a community, you create multiplier effects that touch many more people. And we have you to thank for that, we are enormously grateful. The realization of your action and commitment makes impact personal, and not just to you, but to all the individuals that you reached and impacted— this is friendship, this is family, this is community. This is The Arc Light way.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION 

We wrap the Scholars’ School Pack in craft paper and present it to a deserving student as a gift from you. Included in each of our packs are: A trendy backpack (the student chooses from the available designs); A year’s supply of school approved stationery (Approximately: 10 pencils, 30 pens in assorted colors, erasers, a geometric set, a fabric pencil case, full ruler, a pair of scissors, 30 A4 notebooks, 5 subject spiral notebooks, a pack of index flashcards, glue stick, highlighters); A pair of leather school shoes; A year’s supply of sanitary pads (where appropriate); 12 pack toilet roll; 2 tubes of toothpaste; 3 toothbrushes; 6 pieces bath soap; A bag of laundry detergent; A jar of hand sanitizer; 2 boxes of face masks; A water bottle and; A $25 yearly stipend. 

No Shipping is charged for The Scholars' School Pack. Sales Tax Inclusive. 

The pencil case and the masks are made in our studio using fabric offcuts. The backpack and the spiral notebooks are designed in our studio then accented using fabric offcuts or denim and handed over to a master tailor to reinforce the stitching. The beaded glass water bottle is also designed and accented in our studio. All other items in our Scholars School Pack are store-bought. We collect fabric offcuts from local tailors. We hand-wash and sanitize them before giving them a new lease of life in our products.

Kindly note: It is ok if you choose to impact a life by gifting a Scholars' School Pack, and not claiming the reward. Also, please note that shipping costs for The Light Box reward are calculated based on your location.

Learn more about the materials, Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and ingredients used in the production of The Arc Light products.