The management of Coniah Medical Complex, a private clinic in Yei River County, Central Equatoria State, has provided scholarships to more than 60 orphans affiliated with the Kikiji National Orphanage Center. The initiative, under the theme “Educate an Orphan,” aims to support vulnerable children in accessing education.
The orphanage has faced significant challenges in covering school fees for the children, prompting the center to seek assistance from well-wishers to help foster the education of these vulnerable youngsters.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Patrick Kenyi, Director of Coniah Medical Complex, explained that the support includes school fees and medical coverage for the orphans for the first term of 2025. He added that the clinic would monitor the children’s performance and the impact of the support before extending it to the next term. The funding, he said, comes from daily cash collections generated by the clinic and reimbursements from insurance partners.
“We are supporting 62 children at Kikiji Orphanage Center with school fees and medical cover for this first term, 2025. We will monitor their performance and the impact of our support before deciding on the next term. Currently, we are verifying the children’s enrollment in their respective schools, including St. Paul, Emmanuel Primary, and Emmanuel Secondary School,” Mr. Kenyi said.
He also expressed gratitude to insurance partners, including New Sudan Insurance Company, CIC Africa, South Sudan Limited, Britain Insurance, Miride, Sigina Healthcare International, and Alliance Healthcare, for their timely payments. “Without their support, it would be difficult for us to provide this assistance,” he added.
Dominic Living Wawa, Executive Director of Kikiji National Orphanage Center, confirmed that the orphans face numerous challenges. Out of 118 children at the center, 62 will benefit directly from the scholarship, including 36 boys and 26 girls.
“Through our ‘Educate an Orphan in South Sudan’ campaign, we visited Coniah Medical Complex in Yei and shared the challenges we face as an organization, particularly the rising cost of school fees. We are grateful to Mr. Patrick Kenyi, CEO of Coniah Medical Complex, for pledging to support 62 children by paying their first-term school fees,” Mr. Wawa said.
He added that while the support is a significant step forward, the orphanage still requires assistance to meet other needs. “We lack food, scholastic materials, and funds for school fees. We continue to appeal to individuals, organizations, churches, and the government to support the future of these children,” he said.
Emmanuel Luke, one of the scholarship beneficiaries, expressed gratitude to Coniah Medical Complex for their support. “I am so happy to be one of the children benefiting from this initiative. We are grateful for the support, but we still face challenges such as a lack of books and school bags. We urge well-wishers to continue supporting Kikiji National Orphanage to help more children return to school,” he said.
The “Educate an Orphan” initiative aims to raise funds for tuition, scholastic materials, and upkeep to sustain orphans under the care of Kikiji National Orphanage Center in various schools across Yei River County.