In 2004, a scholarship fund was established at LVCT. It was aimed at primarily supporting staff to develop their capacities being cognizant of the growth of LVCT and the need for on-going support for staff capacities. It is this fund that we at LVCT chose to dedicate to the memory of Dr.
Albert Henn who was both supportive and encouraged all staff to get more education and build their technical capacities as primary foundations for their future and that of LVCT.
The nature of the Albert Henn Scholarship
The Albert Henn Scholarship awards are of four types. The Staff Development Award that aims to provide small funds to facilitate staff to undertake short bridging courses required for their capacities and performance.
The Staff Capacity Building Award aims to support continued long term education for career purposes and technical development whose eventual aim is to contribute to LVCT strategic goals.
The PhD/Research Masters Award provides support to staff undertaking advanced courses either as Research Masters or PhD programmes in areas that are of strategic relevance and interest to LVCT and where the research subject is a priority research area for LVCT and the research programme contributes directly to informing policy or practice as per LVCT goals.
The Targeted Capacity Building Award provides for targeted technical courses for groups of staff (or in identified cases, individual staff) as required to improve the outcomes of the team.
The composition of the Albert Henn Scholarship Committee
Internal LVCT staff from each of the Departments, including regional representation forms the Albert E Henn Scholarship Committee. One member rotates annually and the Chair of the Committee is a staff member separate from the representative of the Department of Finance and Management Services (as the administrators of the fund) and the Director.
The LVCT Director is a permanent member of this Committee. This committee is regulated by guidelines that are part of broader LVCT Human Resource Policy. Three independent members (two from the Board and one external person) form an advisory group to the LVCT committee.
The Staff Development Award can be accessed on an on-going basis through the year. The Staff Capacity Building scholarship is awarded twice a year with 2 annual calls for applications for awards made to staff who apply as per the set guidelines.
The committee meets and awards scholdarships in accordance with set criteria, the applicants are informed by the LVCT Human Resource Office, with a 2-week grace period for appeals, the committee reviews any appeals and the Chair signs off the awards.
These are passed on to the LVCT finance office that processes the awards. Cheques are written to the candidates' institution rather than to the candidates personally. The PhD/Research Masters award can be accessed through the year.
The Targeted Capacity Building award is awarded through requests through coordinators and managers to the management team at LVCT.
THE STATUS OF THE ALBERT E HENN SCHOLARSHIP FOR 2008
The committee consists of 6 members representing different interests; Top level management, Middle level management, Staff and regional interests. The members of the committee during the period 2007/2008 are as follows;
- Dr. Nduku Kilonzo - Director LVCT and permanent member; Provides overall guidance to the committee.
- Joshua Olang' - Head of Management; Advices the committee on financial and human and resource matters while providing the necessary administrative support.
- Carolyne Ajema - Chair person; Chairs all meetings and provides leadership on the routine functions of the committee. She provides the necessary information to the staff with regard to the scholarship award processes through sending communications from time to time.
- Joseph Gatimu - Secretary; Takes minutes of all the meetings and in consultation with other committee members prepares all the necessary documents relating to the scholarship.
- Daniel Koma - Represents the interests of the non management staff in the committee
- Fred Onyango - Represents the interests of the regional staff in the committee
Awards made in the year 2007/08:
Every year, the Al Henn scholarship committee invites and considers scholarship applications for round one, in February/March and round 2 in August September.
In 2007/08 year during rounds 1 and 2, the Albert Henn Scholarship Fund provided 64 awards totaling Ksh 2,580,941(US$34,412). They included awards for 9 Masters courses, 22 undergraduate,30 higher diploma and 3 certificate courses.
