Save a Mind, Give a Choice
accounting@samelimucharity.org Philadelphia, USA · Kenya
SAM Elimu Charity — Save a Mind, Give a Choice
04 / Our Alumni

Graduates who give back.

More than 100 SAM Elimu students have graduated from university, several with master’s degrees, and many now mentor the next generation.

Our alumni
Alumni
229Alumni100+Uni graduates
From boarding school
to the boardroom.
Meet our alumni ↗
SAM Elimu students
Home/What we do

Quality, holistic education.

Every sponsored student receives support, empowerment, mentorship and monitoring, from induction through graduation and beyond.

Since 2002Primary to universityGirls & boys equally
Our story

It started with four children.

Dr. Peter and Kathy Linneman began SAM Elimu in 2002 with four children in rural Kenya.

Today SAM Elimu supports bright, vulnerable children at every level of education, including dozens of orphans, in roughly equal numbers of girls and boys. More than 100 students have graduated from university, several with master’s degrees.

2002

Four children

SAM Elimu begins.

100+

University graduates

Several with master’s degrees.

Today

182 students

From primary to university.

SAM Elimu students
A SAM Elimu student
SAM Elimu pupils
182students supported today

Our mission

To provide access to a complete education to bright, vulnerable and deserving children in Kenya.

Our vision

An educated, empowered and productive individual committed to lifelong learning and service to humanity.

Our values & commitments

What guides every decision.

ProductivityIntegrityAccountabilityLearning to LearnSelf-RespectKindnessIndependence
Inspire

students through access to education and mentoring.

Unlock

each student’s talents and potential.

Build

employability, business and life skills.

Support

committed students to realise their dreams.

Prepare

graduates to be independent and responsible.

SAM Elimu mentoring
Support, empowerment, mentorship & monitoring.
Our approach

More than school fees.

A scholarship opens the door. What keeps a student walking through it is a team that knows them, checks on them and believes in them.

SAM Elimu’s Kenya staff follow every student’s progress each term, visit schools and homes, offer psychosocial support and mentoring, and help graduates find internships, attachments and their first jobs.

  • Support
  • Empowerment
  • Mentorship
  • Monitoring
Support at every level

Primary, high school and beyond.

Three levels, one continuous journey. Each level’s ring shows its share of the students we support today.

Primary school01
Level 01

Primary school

Orphans and vulnerable primary pupils enrolled in quality boarding schools, where they can learn without hunger or insecurity.

What we cover

  • Boarding fees
  • Uniforms
  • Books & supplies
  • Pocket money
10students

5% of current students

Supported at this level today.

High school02
Level 02

High school

Students who earn places in national and county high schools are supported through all four years.

What we cover

  • Tuition
  • Stationery
  • Uniforms
  • Transport
  • Pocket money
52students

29% of current students

Supported at this level today.

University & college03
Level 03

University & college

Post-high school students are placed in universities and technical institutions according to their grades and abilities.

What we cover

  • Fees
  • Computers
  • Upkeep
  • Accommodation
120students

66% of current students

Supported at this level today.

What a scholarship covers

Everything a student needs to stay in school.

A full scholarship removes every barrier between a capable child and their education.

School fees & supplies

Tuition, books and stationery at every level.

Uniforms & essentials

Uniforms, shoes and pocket money for boarding students.

Transport

Travel to and from school each term for high school students.

Computers for tertiary

Laptops, upkeep and accommodation for university and college students.

Mentoring & psychosocial support

Ongoing guidance, counselling and coaching from induction to graduation.

Business & life skills

Business literacy, employability and life skills so graduates stand on their own.

Our interventions

Seven ways we walk with students.

From the day a child is selected to the day they start work, and beyond.

SAM Elimu students
  1. Selecting deserving students

    We identify bright, vulnerable children for support at primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education.

  2. Mentorship and coaching

    We strengthen students’ knowledge and character through mentorship and coaching.

  3. Internships and jobs

    We work to increase internships, attachments and job opportunities for our students.

  4. Monitoring outcomes

    We monitor, strengthen and evaluate every student’s outcomes, term by term.

  5. Independent graduates

    We equip graduates to be independent, responsible and productive after graduation.

  6. An engaged alumni network

    We actively engage and empower the alumni network to support the next generation.

  7. Business and life skills

    We help every sponsored child develop business and life skills.

Our impact

Where our students are today.

Students currently supported at each level, and the alumni who have come through the programme.

10

Primary pupils in quality boarding schools

52

High school students in national & county schools

120

College and university students

229+

Alumni, many now working professionals

Students by level

Where our 182 current students are

182students
  • Primary10
  • High school52
  • University & college120
Figures from SAM Elimu programme records.
Alumni

229 alumni, one dot each

100+ university graduatesOther alumni
Several graduates hold master’s degrees.
SAM Elimu students
Every gift is receipted.And every payment to a school is approved and recorded.
Give today

Help a student finish the journey.

Your gift pays for fees, uniforms, books, transport, laptops and mentoring for bright children who would otherwise drop out.