GLOW’s Model
For women to reach their full potential,
education can’t end with a high school diploma.
Education is the most powerful tool there is to increase and create economic opportunities for nations across the globe. GLOW ensures that our scholarships are awarded to disadvantaged young women in developing countries who have shown academic and personal resilience despite desperate circumstances and who, without GLOW, would not be able to go to college.
The Selection Process:
Financial Need
Poverty is the most disruptive factor in girls’ education while sociocultural inequalities continue to limit their opportunities and ability to make it through higher education. Many girls come from extremely limiting backgrounds and the need for financial assistance is great. GLOW balances financial need, academic achievement, and personal accomplishments when making a final decision.
In-Person Interview
Each applicant is interviewed in-person to discuss their overall application, their commitment to education, and the broader community.
GLOW seeks young women who are,
- Resilient & persevere
- Goal-oriented
- Educationally-driven
- Self-sufficient
- Leaders
- Team-players
KCSE Scores
& High School Recommendation
The applicant’s KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) score on this standardized nationwide test gives our panel a sense of the direction the applicant is headed. GLOW continues to work closely with partnering high schools in different parts of the country and takes their recommendations and advice seriously.
GLOW Application
The GLOW application is filled out by initial applicants as well as returning GLOW scholar applicants. Each year we determine their progress, scores, written essay questions on their experiences and life lessons, and their community involvement. Scholarship recipients are reviewed yearly to determine whether they will receive a scholarship for the next school year. GLOW established the application criteria after consideration and review from our advisory board members and educators on the ground in Kenya.
What makes us unique?
Individualized Scholarship Plans
GLOW Foundation creates individualized financial plans for each scholarship recipient to ensure their success. Plans include resources and a support system that counter sociocultural issues such as scrutiny, victimization, lack of recognition, and loss of community as young educated women. As GLOW Girls grow & GLOW, we make sure they have a solid foundation for a bright future.
The Mentorship Program
The GLOW Mentorship Program is a vital part of our organization. Our mentors exemplify our core values in their daily life and work with our scholars to help them lay the foundation they need to become the next generation of leaders.
The program matches influential female Kenyan business leaders with GLOW Girls to encourage character building, leadership, personal and professional growth, career development, and overall workforce readiness.
Entrepreneurship
GLOW scholarship recipients participate in yearly training on entrepreneurship and are required to contribute financially in some way to their education through “side-hustles”. This includes creative and resourceful work like assisting in teaching, editing papers, creating mats, re-selling clothing, assisting at pharmacies and bookstores, writing paid research and academic articles, and selling customary items like Ankara fabric, shoes, and handbags from kiosks in villages.
The Accountability Buddy
“GLOW is like a very good support to women, especially those who are in need and so it really encourages... They give you ideas of how you can support yourself in the future and how you can support others. How you can give back to the community, Yeah.” - Mary Kisaka
Along with the mentorship program, GLOW scholarship recipients are paired to create a buddy system, which helps the girls hold each other accountable for meeting their goals and commitments. Each recipient is expected to act with integrity, honor, and support each other out of a place of love, service, and friendship. Most of our girls have challenging family and relational backgrounds that create hurdles in their educational pursuits.
Annual Workshops & Seminars
A three-day annual GLOW Foundation workshop held in Nairobi that includes one-on-one interviews with current GLOW Girls, peer-to-peer discussions, various lectures on relevant topics such as time management, successful communication tools, female empowerment, leadership, sexuality, and healthy relationship building.
The workshop is led by GLOW founder, Jeni Lowry, GLOW alumni, and other industry leaders.
Community Service
As a requirement to receive a GLOW scholarship, each GLOW scholarship recipient participates in a minimum of 15 hours of community service every semester. Many girls exceed the hours of service required and participate in programs such as the Red Cross, DEMA (Disaster & Environment Risk Management), tutoring at-risk primary & secondary students, and HIV/AIDS campaigns to support and educate the greater community.
GLOW Girls also contribute to their community through mentoring girls on issues of health and cultural practices like FGM, assisting on civil engineering projects like road work, planting trees in diminishing forests, volunteering at local hospitals and children’s rescue centers, and teaching on technology and code.
