In May, 2007, Kapadia Education Foundation students accompanied KEF board member Marti Mattia on an afternoon visit to Tarangire animal park. This photo was taken outside the small home of a family, located in a banana grove outside Arusha. Front row: Glory (in center) flanked by her sister Upendo and a friend. Back row, left to right: Godfreys friend, KEF students Godfrey and Upendo, Marti, and Glory’s parents. More photos of Tanzania>

You can make it possible for one young adult to attend college in the developing world, and participate in their progress every step of the way.

Two ways to contribute: Pay about $600 per year to directly sponsor a student, or any amount towards the general administrative fund. Either way, your contribution is tax deductible under US 501(c)3 guidelines.

Our program is based on frequent personal communication between Student Candidate and Sponsor. Each Student Candidate pledges to write or email their Sponsor at least once per month during their college career. The Sponsor gets the satisfaction of following their Sponsored Student's progress and growth, and, if asked, offer encouragement or advice.

Sponsors are matched with a Student Candidate for the duration of their college term, typically two to four years. Each Sponsor has a direct relationship with the Student Candidate. Once the two of you are matched, the Foundation fades into the background. You do what you feel is right to mentor and to develop your own relationship with your Student Candidate. You experience the excitement — and sometimes the setbacks — of their college career.

The program provides Sponsors with a continuous reward in the form of monthly emails. Sponsors have often told us that the best part of their day is when they get that email from their Student Candidate. Student Candidates pledge to freely ask their Sponsor for non-financial help such as advice or opinions that may help them succeed in college. They often find a few words of advice helpful, even if it's just "hang in there."

We also encourage people traveling abroad to help us look up potential Student Candidates. Our goal is to have someone acting on behalf of the Foundation to pay a visit during the application process or during the Student Candidate's career. For example, some travelers touring Arusha, Tanazania recently volunteered to visit a Student Candidate there for the Foundation. If you plan a trip to a developing country, please get in touch with us!

The Success Stories of some of our Student Candidates illustrate how our program works.

Your cost will be no more than $600 per year. 100% of this money goes to the student's education. The program costs at Kapdia Education Foundation are zero (all administrative costs are funded by Pradeep Kapadia). When you Sponsor, you agree not provide any financial assistance beyond that; and that you will not sponsor the student for emigrating or citizenship to the US or any other country.

Most financial Sponsors also wish to mentor their student throughout their college tenure; to send and receive emails, to follow their progress, and to offer encouragement and advice. However, we understand that not all financial Sponsors want to take on this role. So it is also possible to mentor a student without being the financial Sponsor. The application form to be a Mentor is the same as the one to be a Sponsor, click on the link below to download it.

Download Sponsor/Mentor Application Form (PDF file).

Upon completion, the forms and pledge should be returned for processing to the Kapadia Education Foundation, 3000 East Ojai Ave.
Ojai, CA 93023, USA, or emailed to info@kapadiaef.org

Thank you, and may you find your sponsorship rewarding as you "pay-it-forward."

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